Lose Yourself
by S05Y31
Summary: AU-Lucas Scott never had an easy life. His mother committed suicide when he was 15, his father didn’t want him and now 17 years old living in a beat-up apartment selling drugs for a living. Is there something in his life to make it better? Brucas!
1. Introduction

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill! **

**A/N: This is the first one-shot I have ever written so I hope you all like it. However, It might not stay as a one-shot...So I may continue this in the future :) **

**Pretty much all the characters in this story are not like they are in the show! **

**Lucas is the only character with a different background from the show...Oh and Jake doesn't have Jenny either. **

**AU – Lucas Scott never had an easy life. His mother committed suicide when he was just 15, his father didn't want anything to do with him and now he is 17 years old living in a beat-up apartment selling drugs for a living. Is there something in his life to make it all better? **

* * *

How would one Tree Hill High Student describe Lucas Scott? An outsider, badboy, junkie, alcoholic, loner, Nathan Scott's half brother, Dan Scott's illegitimate son, thug and had a really bad temper. Now, those were just a few and most of them were the truth.

Lucas sat in his small apartment waiting for his best friend Jake Jagelski. Jake was in the middle of sealing a big deal. He and Jake met this guy at a party a few weeks ago, his name was Kevin. He was a college drop-out and basically a fuck-up. But that was Lucas's kind, because he too was a fuck-up. Kevin was addicted, any drug he had Kevin would want. So, Jake was meeting him that morning to make sure that Kevin and his friends would only buy their drugs from himself; after all…Lucas hated competition.

"Hey man" Jake said walking straight into Lucas's apartment. Jake was an okay guy, he wasn't a hothead like Lucas which is why it was much easier for him to _compromise_ with their buyers. Together they made a good team, Jake's charming and calm approach added to Lucas's straight to the point attitude.

"Well?" Lucas asked standing up running a hand over his short buzzed hair. "Did Kevin agree?"

"Yep" Jake smirked "Sign sealed and delivered! The money that is going to be rolling in with this is going to be crazy!" he laughed.

Lucas couldn't help but join in. They were trying to get Kevin and his followers to deal permanently with them for weeks, and now that Kevin gave his word that he would get his coke from him, if he ever dealt with someone else Lucas finally had an excuse to beat the crap out of him and wipe the smug smile from his face.

"Sorry to cut this shit short but we gotta head to school" Jake said with a sigh as he ran his hand over his stubble chin

Lucas groaned but nodded "Yeah whatever man…I'm too happy to care" he chuckled before the two left the apartment.

* * *

How would one Tree Hill High Student describe Brooke Davis? Popular, a bitch, spoilt, rich, slut, cheerleader, best friend of Peyton Sawyer and Nathan Scott, and a party girl. Truth is, only half of that was true.

Brooke stood by her best friend's locker waiting for her to come and meet her before first period. But of course, she was late. Now, there were two reasons that could explain this; the first, she was making out somewhere with Nathan. The second, she was somewhere arguing with Nathan. Brooke just wished that her two best friends would either date each other steadily or just break up for good. She couldn't keep up with whether or not the two were broken up or back together or broken up or back together again. She felt sympathy for Peyton, Nathan is a jerk when it comes to girls…but Peyton really isn't that better towards boys. Luckily for her however, Nathan and herself were more like brother and sister so she had never really experienced the _player_ side of Nathan Scott.

"Finally" Brooke moaned as Peyton made her way towards her brunette friend.

"Sorry" Peyton apologized half heartedly as she opened her locker "Nathan was being an ass"

"I see nothing has changed there then" Brooke muttered before Peyton shut her locker and the two began walking through the halls.

"I just don't understand what his problem is!" Peyton ranted frustratingly "He says he wants to be with me exclusively then he is off flirting with some cheerleader bimbo that he is probably planning to sleep with on friday night"

Brooke rolled her eyes _'typical Nathan'_ she thought.

"Well?" Peyton asked.

Brooke frowned slightly "Well what?" she asked confused.

"Aren't you going to give me some advice? You know, that is what best friends are for" Peyton said in a matter of fact tone.

"Trust me, when it comes to the high school romance of Nathan and Peyton…I am out of comments" Brooke told her honestly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Peyton asked confused

"Nothing" Brooke told her shaking her head "Forget I even said anything" she smiled as she linked arms with the blonde. "So…did I tell you about what Bevin did over the weekend…?"

* * *

"Stop looking at her" Jake said sternly as he and Lucas walked through the quad at school. Students deliberately moving out of their way, knowing better than to mess with Lucas Scott.

"Who?" Lucas asked innocently.

"Brooke Davis" Jake said in a duh tone and motioned towards the brunette who was sitting with Peyton and laughing with some other cheerleaders.

"I'm not" Lucas denied shaking his head.

Jake rolled his eyes "Lucas, you have been obsessed with that girl since freshman year…when are you going to get over the fact that she isn't interested in guys like us?" Jake asked seriously "I mean…she is Brooke Davis! Popular, a cheerleader, rich…everything we're not. Not to mention that she is Nathan's best friend"

Lucas's head snapped towards Jake and you could see the anger in his eyes "I don't give two shits about Nathan" he hissed coldly.

"I know man" Jake said holding his hands up in defense. He knew how much talking about Nathan or Dan or anyone part of his family, angered Lucas.

"Good" Lucas said coldly before his mood quickly changed "So, did you see that basketball game last night?" he asked as if he hadn't just bitten Jake's head off.

Jake nodded his head; he knew Lucas had more mood swings then pregnant women with triplets. It was just who he was. Lucas was a pretty angry guy; nothing would change that…not even Brooke Davis. Not that he believed she would ever be in Lucas's life anyway.

* * *

Brooke sat bored in her Algebra class. The teacher was going over something on the board that she just didn't have a clue about, and that was pretty bad considering they were only in their third week of junior year.

Lucas sat a couple of rows behind Brooke. He sat staring at the back of her head and was wondering what was going through her mind right now. Cheerleading? Nathan? Just the thought of her thinking of his brother made him cringe. Lucas's relationship with Nathan was pretty non-existent, but the two hated each other anyway, not that they ever even acknowledged each other's existence but on the rare occasion that they did, it was never good.

Brooke's attention returned to the classroom when she heard the door open and a casual looking Nathan strolled through the door without a care in the world. The teacher (a huge basketball fan) didn't even give him a second glance as Nathan slumped into his seat next to Brooke.

"Hey" Brooke whispered as she leant over "Where have you been?"

Nathan shrugged "Not here" he answered simply as he took out his phone and began to play some basketball game on it, not even caring if he got caught or not. Truth is, the teacher probably wouldn't say anything even if he did.

Brooke rolled her eyes. _So he is in one of those moods_ she thought. "Whatever, but Peyton is pissed off at you"

This time it was Nathan who rolled his eyes "Peyton is always pissed off with me"

"You know…you could be a little nice to her, I mean, she is your girlfriend!"

"Ex-girlfriend" Nathan corrected.

Brooke let out a dry laugh "I'll give it two hours" she told him before leaning back over to her desk.

This time it was Nathan who leant over "You know…you should really stop giving me relationship advice, I mean…since yours is pretty much down the pan at the moment"

Brooke glared at him "And whose fault is that? Whenever a guy gets close to asking me out properly _you_ scare them away!" she hissed.

Nathan chuckled "Yeah that's because they weren't good enough for _you_"

"No…it was because they weren't good enough for _you_" She told him loudly causing the attention of the class to turn towards her. She blushed slightly "Sorry" she apologized looking at the teacher sheepishly who rolled his eyes in return before turning back to whatever he was writing on the board.

Nathan smirked at her before turning his attention back to his cell.

Brooke grunted with frustration. Today was going to be one of those days.

* * *

How would one Tree Hill High Student describe Nathan Scott? Jock, Basketball star, popular, jerk, player, hot, powerful, on-off boyfriend of Peyton Sawyer, best friend of Brooke Davis and Tim Smith and the son of Dan Scott. The truth is…they were all true.

Nathan walked through the halls casually. He winked to the right girls. Nodded to the right guys. And glared at the wrong ones.

Tim Smith tried to keep up by Nathan's side. Brooke once joked that Tim was gay and had an obsession with Nathan; although she was joking…she got a little worried when Tim denied it just a little _too_ quickly. However Tim chased enough girls around to prove that he wasn't gay…maybe it was just the obsession he was trying to hide.

* * *

"Hey boys" Rachel Gatina smirked as she sat down at the table Lucas and Jake were seated at, at lunch.

"Rachel" Jake acknowledged as the redhead sat down next to him.

Rachel Gatina was a bit of a drifter. She was _in_ with the popular crowd but she also liked to do her own thing. Carefree and independent was what Rachel described herself as. Rachel had first met Jake and Lucas at a party about 6 months ago…she soon scored some weed from them and had been keeping in contact with them ever since, she was also surprised to learn that they went to Tree Hill High never mind the fact that they were both in her History class. The three soon became friends much to Rachel's popular friend's dismay. Lucas was known as the _other_ Scott. Nobody from the inner social circle ever socialized with him in fear of getting on the wrong side of Nathan, and being on the wrong side of Nathan Scott in Tree Hill High meant trouble, because…he _is_ Nathan Scott.

However, none of these so called _jocks_ would dare mess with Lucas. They may be a little slow when it comes to schoolwork, but they weren't stupid, they all knew that Lucas had a temper and that he could probably beat them all to a pulp. In fact, the only guys in the school that didn't seem to be scared of Lucas were Jake (for obvious reasons) and Nathan.

* * *

Nathan sat with some of the guys and Brooke at lunch when he looked over to see Rachel sitting with his bastard of a brother.

"What is Rachel sitting with those junkies for?" Nathan asked coldly nodding towards the small group.

Nobody answered him straight away, in fear that they would say the wrong thing where Lucas was concerned…however, Brooke was Nathan's best friend, and she _knew_ him. She knew how to _handle_ him.

"She is probably just experimenting" Brooke said with a careless shrug like it was no big deal. However, she knew that to Nathan that it was a big deal.

"Experimenting?" Nathan asked with a frown "On what?"

Brooke again shrugged "You know what Rachel is like…she doesn't like to be tied down. She does what she wants when she wants…you can't judge her for that can you Nate? She can sit with those guys if she wants too" she told him sweetly.

The table was silent. Did Brooke just defend Lucas? Well, not exactly defending Lucas…but they knew that Nathan could see it like that.

Nathan looked back at Rachel who was laughing, he then looked back at Brooke who was looking at him expectantly "No…I guess not" he answered unsurely.

Brooke smiled with satisfaction "Good…I am glad you came to an understanding about that" Brooke liked Rachel…the two had that sort of love/hate relationship going on. But at the end of the day, the two understood each other…they came from the same background, they both had none-existent parents and they both shared a similar personality. She knew that if Nathan wanted to, he could make Rachel pretty much disappear from what was known as the 'popular crowd'. Unfortunately, that was a part of her best friend that she did not like. Nathan had power…and he knows exactly how to use it; and she blamed his ass of a father for that.

Brooke was interrupted from her thoughts by the beeping sound from her phone. She looked down and smiled as she saw she received a text.

Nathan grunted slightly "Are you ever going to tell me who has been texting you almost nonstop for the last three months?"

"I told you…it's nobody" Brooke smirked.

Nathan rolled his eyes "If it's a guy…I will kick his ass" he said seriously.

Brooke sent him a short icy stare before turning back to normal "Like you said before Nate…my love life is non-existent at the moment"

"Yeah, make sure it stays that way!" Nathan warned.

Brooke shrugged at him not even bothering to reply to Nathan's protectiveness. It had always been like that. She could remember at the end of sophomore year when she started to date this guy called Felix. It only lasted two weeks before Nathan finally beat the guy up and scared him off for good. Brooke didn't speak to Nathan for almost three weeks, which was a record for her. Yes, Felix was an ass…and their relationship was mainly meaningless sex…but Nathan had no right interfering in her life like that just like he always does. And somehow, she couldn't really see that changing anytime soon.

Infact, in the middle of sophomore year, Nathan drew her up a list with all the guys she _couldn't_ date. The list took up about three sheets of paper and it consisted of all of the basketball team, all of the football team, and basically every other sport team in the school. The names Chris Keller and Felix Taggaro were also added on. Actually, the list kept on expanding everyday until Brooke finally had enough and ripped it into shreads before throwing it back in Nathan's face.

* * *

Jake and Lucas walked into Lucas's apartment after school.

"So, you got any parties lined up for tonight?" Jake asked as he took a beer from the fridge.

Lucas shook his head "Nope…I have some gear that needs to be sold but I can get rid of that on Friday" he told him "I think I am just going to chill here tonight"

Jake nodded "I might join ya…my parents keep on looking at me with disappointment ever since they found out I smoke and drink" he said with a laugh "Imagine what they would be like when they find out about the other shit we get up to"

Lucas chuckled "They must think I am a bad influence on you"

"Well you are" Jake smirked "I actually like living like this…we are young and carefree…living on the dangerous side" he laughed "God I sound so cheesy right now"

"Yeah man" Lucas laughed "Just shut up before I stick that beer down your throat"

"Why do I get the feeling your being serious about that" Jake joked before passing Lucas his own beer and turning on the TV. "To getting an asshole like Kevin Potter to deal with us permanently" Jake said lifting his beer up to toast.

"To assholes like Kevin" Lucas smirked before tapping his bottle against Jake's before taking a big swig from it.

Lucas looked down at his watch about an hour later before standing up "Actually…I am going to head out"

Jake tore his eyes away from the football game on TV and looked up at Lucas confused "Why? Where are you going?"

"What are you? My mother?" Lucas asked protectively at Jake's questions.

Jake held his hands up "I'm just curious man…you said you were staying in tonight"

"Yeah well I was planning to" Lucas defended "There's just something I have to do" he said putting on a shirt over his wife-beater.

"Alright" Jake nodded knowing better than to push Lucas.

"Just lock up if you leave before I get back" Lucas finished before grabbing his car keys and heading out of the door.

* * *

Lucas sat alone at the bar at some seedy bar right outside of town. He took a swig from his beer and looked down patiently at his watch. They were late. Always were.

"Can I get you another one?" the greasy bartender asked as he noticed Lucas's almost empty bottle.

Lucas looked at him then back at his bottle before shaking his head "Not yet" he answered simply as he looked around the almost empty bar.

There were the odd truck driver scattered around drinking beer and eating fatty foods. There was a young couple dancing pretty closely on the dance floor and just the odd group of guys sitting in the corner playing a game of poker.

Lucas turned back around and sat staring at his empty bottle. He often wondered what it would be like if he was just a normal 17 year old teenager. A guy who spent his days complaining about how unfair it was that his parents grounded him or that he had a curfew. He knew that there was no point dwelling on the past though and all the what ifs. The fact is, his mom his dead, his father doesn't give a shit about him and his half brother probably wishes he was dead. His family sucked. And he knew that he is better off alone. Well, almost alone.

"Hey baby" a voice came from behind as he felt two soft pairs of hands wrap around his waist.

Lucas smirked before turning around and capturing the girl's lips in his and kissing her passionately. He ran his hand under her tank top and caressed her back. He finally pulled away from the kiss and stared at the girl in front of him "Hey pretty girl" he grinned.

Brooke grinned before reattaching her lips against his and kissed him hungrily. Her tongue roaming through every part of his mouth. "Mm…I missed you" she said softly as she pulled away from the kiss and left both of her hands on Lucas's stubbled cheeks before tracing his jawline with her finger.

"I missed you more" Lucas smirked as his hands roamed freely under her tank-top.

"Not possible baby…not possible" Brooke smiled before kissing him again. This time much slower and softer.

"Hm…I love you Brooke Davis"

"I love you more" Brooke smiled using words similar to what he used just minutes before.

"Not possible baby…not possible" Lucas grinned and Brooke giggled slightly at him for mimicking her.

Lucas had never been in love before…but there was something about Brooke Davis that drawn him to her, almost made him obsessed with her and he knew that Brooke felt the same way.

They both knew that if people found out about them they would immediately disapprove. They would tell Brooke that Lucas wasn't good enough for her or that Brooke wasn't Lucas's type. But they _were_ each other's type and they _were_ good enough for each other.

Sadly though, they knew that people wouldn't understand their relationship, especially people like Nathan and even Jake on some level. So that is why they have kept their relationship a secret for the last 3 months. They knew that they were good together. On so many levels. Brooke was good for Lucas…she calmed him down, taught him how to have fun. Lucas was good for Brooke…he showed her that there was more to life than money and popularity.

They both accepted each other for who they were…not about their pasts or their mistakes. They had both made a lot of them. Brooke knew that Lucas dealt drugs and that he even smoked the odd case of marijuana but she wouldn't judge him for that, because that was his life. Just like Lucas wouldn't judge her for living a lie through the popular crowd. He also knew that Brooke was close to Nathan, he didn't like it…but he could live with it, as long as he had Brooke. Although, what made him hate Nathan even more was the fact that he was the biggest reason as to why they were keeping their relationship a secret. He didn't understand the control that Nathan had over the people of Tree Hill High, but he knew that with Brooke it was different, he may hate the guy but he wasn't blind…he could see that Nathan cares for Brooke, he just wasn't sure if he should be happy or not about that.

It didn't matter to Brooke though. She loved Lucas and nothing would change that, not even Nathan…she was just scared to lose his friendship since he has been one of the only constants in her life, and that is why she can't tell him about Lucas. Because she knows how much Nathan hates him…

So, that's how they lived…they saw each other as much as they could. Whether it is at this bar where they first met during the summer or at each other's houses. Although, it would mostly be at the bar…Lucas couldn't risk Jake walking in on them and Brooke certainly couldn't risk Nathan or Peyton catching them together.

Maybe someday before graduation they would tell the world about them. But not now, for now…they would stay a secret. But as Broody and Cheery, Pretty Girl and Boyfriend and just as Brooke and Lucas.

Brooke looked at her boyfriend and smiled as she kissed his forehead "You know...you were never on the list..."

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well? What do you think? Please review and tell me! I really want to know what you guys thought about this!

**Like I said before...I might continue this...I might not, I guess it just depends on life I suppose. **

**Oh, and to anyone who reads 'One Last Kiss' I have made another preview video for it, the link is on my profile so please watch and comment it :) And I will update it soon :) **

**Thanks guys! And dont forget to review! :) **

**Sara x**


	2. Wrong About You

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill! **

**A/N: Well, as you can see I have decided to carry on with this story! I guess the response was just really good so I hope that continues. I think this story can go somewhere so please be patient with me, after all…I have One Last Kiss to concentrate on too, yes guys…I haven't forgotten about that story! It is my favorite after all!**

**So, I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review! **

_**

* * *

**_

Three and a half months ago:

Brooke sat alone in some seedy bar right outside of town. Her plan was to forget about her life, who she was and everything else that annoyed the crap out of her. Her parents were back in town, why? God only knew. But she dreaded their visits, her mother liked to pick out every little negative thing that Brooke consisted of _'Brooke darling, I think you have gained a few pounds, cut down on the chocolate' 'Brooke, that outfit does not look right on you, change it' 'Brooke, don't wear your hair like that, wear it like this' _Brooke this, Brooke that. To hell with Victoria! She had been living her own life for the last 10 years so why should she have to listen to her mother bitch on her?

Speaking of bitches...Peyton was being a complete diva-skank. She and Nathan have broken up yet again and instead of taking it out on him...she takes it out on her! Why? Because she was there for her! She was there while Peyton ate the ice cream and she was there to stop her from making a drunken call to Nathan! She probably wouldn't have minded Peyton taking her anger out on her if their breakup was actually serious...not when it happened every other week!

And talking about Mr. Nathan Scott himself, the guy not only just got himself arrested for beating the crap out of Felix Taggaro, but Dan called her parents who then took her _car_ off her! Can you believe that? Nathan gets arrested and _she_ gets punished! Luckily though, Dan has a lot of connections that made sure that all assault charges against Nathan were dropped and he was free to leave after a little scolding. But no, she had her precious beetle taken away from her!

So that's how she ended up here...trying to get away from her parents and everything else. It was the beginning of the summer and she not only had no car, but she had to divide her time between Peyton and Nathan but hopefully that would only last a few days.

--

Lucas walked into the fairly crowded bar looking for this new guy he met last week at a party. His name was Kevin Potter. One word to describe him: asshole. Lucas couldn't stand the guy but he paid good money so he had to deal with him, and Jake couldn't do it because he had dinner with the family.

Family. Lucas could barely utter the word. There was no such thing as family; it was all a lie…a complete waste of time. They only love you because they _have_ to. Hell, he would bet his entire livelihood (his car, apartment and drugs) that Dan didn't even love him. Not that he cared anyway.

He even wondered if his mom loved him when she was alive. Was he that much of an inconvenience that she had to kill herself to get away from him? Because if he was then he would have gladly left home. Sure, Karen had a hard life…she had basically stuck with him for 15 years with no one to help her raise him. He always wondered that maybe that was why he turned out the way he did…he had no guidance, his mom worked two jobs every day, he practically lived alone all his life…although he didn't mind, no parents meant no pressure, not expectations, he didn't have to live up to anyone or anything…but maybe that was the problem?

He could remember this guy called Keith…he could remember them going to the Rivercourt to play basketball and he would show him how to fix cars, which oddly enough stayed in his mind. But then he was gone…Keith had apparently proposed to his mother but she turned him down. Then, he was never to be seen again, at least not by him. He was probably off playing happy families like his jerk of a brother. He even wondered if Keith ever remembered him…after all, the guy left when he was about eight years old.

He stopped his mind from wondering for much longer as he spotted Kevin and a couple of his pals sitting in a booth at the back of the bar, he confidently walked towards them before sitting across from Kevin without a word being spoken and he nodded for the other guys to leave them alone. They all quickly left the table without a word.

"So…you got the stuff?" Kevin asked in a hushed voice.

Lucas looked around the bar before speaking "Have you got my money?"

"It's all here" Kevin smirked as he pulled out a wad of cash.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Lucas hissed quietly as he pushed the money back "Are you trying to get us fucking arrested?"

Kevin looked at him confused "I'm paying you man…"

"You're handing me a handful of cash in the middle of a fucking public bar! Are you that stupid?" Lucas told him angrily.

"Oh I see" Kevin answered hesitantly. Lucas was angry.

"_Oh you see_? You know what…I don't even know what I am doing here, you're a fucking dumbass" Lucas said coldly as he stood up to leave.

"Lucas! Lucas man come on…I'm sorry!" Kevin pleaded and Lucas reluctantly sat down.

"You will be fucking sorry if you mess this up for me man" Lucas threatened.

"So how do you want to do this?" Kevin asked hesitantly.

Lucas rolled his eyes "You could have at least put the money in an envelope or something"

"I didn't realize" Kevin defended.

"Whatever man, just give me the money" Lucas demanded.

"What? But you said-" Kevin started but quickly got cut off by Lucas.

"Forget what I said…just hurry up and give me the damn money, nobody is looking"

Kevin nodded quickly as he hurriedly handed Lucas the money. Lucas discreetly counted it before nodding and putting it in his back pocket.

"Now can I have my weed?" Kevin asked almost desperately and Lucas could tell he was addicted already.

"Just a minute" Lucas muttered as he stood up. "Stand up" he demanded.

Kevin followed his orders as Lucas unnoticeably put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a packed. He casually shook Kevin's hand as he handed him the stuff.

"Let's do this again sometime" Kevin said eagerly and Lucas nodded slightly.

"Whatever man…but talk to Jake next time" Lucas told him and he was about to walk off before he remembered something.

He turned around and threateningly stood close to Kevin and looked at him intently "If the cops ever get wind of this or if you ever mention mine or Jake's name to them I swear to god I will kill you" Lucas told him seriously.

Kevin gulped before nodding "You have my word Scott"

"Good" Lucas nodded before pushing Kevin's shoulder back slightly and turning around to walk away.

He was about to leave the bar when her realized that he didn't have much to do tonight anyway so he walked towards the bar and ordered a beer. But just as he was taking a sip of it he noticed a certain Brooke Davis sitting across from him at the other side. He couldn't help but stare a little; I mean…she is beautiful, even if she is Nathan's best friend. He took a swig of his beer and slammed it down on the table frustratingly. He fucking hated Nathan Scott.

--

Brooke lifted her head up from her drink and her eyes wondered across the bar and to her surprise, there was Lucas Scott. She was wondering what he was doing here. Brooke came here to get away from her life and everyone in it, and that included every single student of Tree Hill High. She noticed that he was staring at her and she couldn't help but glare at him. It wasn't that she hated the guy; Nathan hated him enough for the whole school. But Lucas was not exactly an angel…he seemed to be a pretty violent guy and from what was a known fact from a lot of students at their school, was that he was a drug dealer.

She had never taken the time before to ask herself why he was like this, until now. Now that he sat across the bar from her, staring at her intently, he didn't even move his gaze when she glared heavily at him. He was probably purposely trying to piss her off, she thought. After all, she was Nathan's best friend, and she knew that Nathan's hatred against his brother was very much returned. But that didn't stop her from thinking that maybe he was like how he is because of Dan and Nathan…Nathan pretty much hated him for no reason and Dan just didn't even acknowledge his existence. She also knew that his mother died about two years ago so she was guessing that that was tough on him.

Why was she even thinking about him? This was _Lucas Scott_. She didn't care about him or anything that happened to him. So what, his father didn't want anything to do with him…people grow up without fathers all the time, that doesn't mean they should do drugs. She pretty much grew up parentless and she was fine…well…sort of. But then why did she feel guilty for thinking that? That Lucas was just another illegitimate child. Maybe she felt sorry for him…yeah, that was probably it! She felt sorry for him.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the bartender placing a beer in front of her. Brooke looked at him confused "I didn't order this"

"I know" The bartender answered "The guy over there did" he told her pointing towards Lucas.

Brooke looked at him again and glared. But Lucas simply smirked and raised his bottle before tipping it towards her slightly and taking a large swig of it.

Brooke was about to glare at him again but realized that it wasn't working. So instead she marched towards him with her head held high.

"I don't want this" she said slamming the beer down in front of him.

Lucas shrugged "Okay, I will drink it then" he smirked before taking a drink from it.

Brooke scoffed in a disgusted manner and she was about to walk away when Lucas's voice called after her.

"You're not going to join me?" he asked.

Brooke looked at him with a raised eyebrow and was wondering if he was being sarcastic or not. But from the look on his face, he was serious.

"Why the hell would I?" she asked coldly.

Lucas again shrugged "I don't know…you were looking rather alone over there, I thought you could use the company"

Brooke let out a small chuckle "From you? Please…you would have to shoot me first"

"Well then I will just go and have to get my gun then" Lucas told her.

Brooke raised an eyebrow slightly, she knew that he wasn't being serious but part of her couldn't help but wonder if he really did have a gun.

"Well?" Lucas asked with a small grin on his face.

"Well what?"

"Are you going to join me?"

"No" Brooke told him coldly before turning around and strutting away to the other side of the bar to where she couldn't see Lucas and he couldn't see her.

--

"I told you asshole that I wasn't interested" Brooke said coldly as she pushed the same drunken guy off of her for about the 10th time in the last hour.

"Oh come on baby…we can go and have some fun…you know you want to" he slurred as he again attempted to pull Brooke into his arms.

Brooke was about to try and push him off her again but someone else beat her to it. She screamed with shock as she watched Lucas charge into the guy and punch him in the face.

"Lucas!" she gasped as she watched in shock as Lucas continuously began to punch the guy in the face.

"Lucas!" she shouted again trying to pull him off of him but Lucas wouldn't budge, instead it had to take two of the bartenders to pull Lucas off the guy.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Lucas shouted in anger as he attempted to hit the guy again.

Brooke watched in shock at what had happened. Everything happened so fast and before she knew it, one of the security guys was leading her and Lucas outside.

The big security guy pushed Lucas out of the door and he fell quickly to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Brooke asked worriedly as she knelt down next to him.

"I'm fine" Lucas muttered as he sat up.

"Your knuckles…their bleeding" Brooke told him worriedly as she looked down at his bloody hands.

Lucas chuckled as he looked down at them "Well that does tend to happen when you punch someone"

"You know you didn't have to do that…I could have handled him myself" Brooke told him stubbornly.

Lucas shrugged "I know…but he was a loser and he was probably going to get more aggressive with you so I just stopped it from happening."

"Well…thanks…I guess" Brooke told his hesitantly as she stood up and Lucas followed.

Lucas laughed slightly and Brooke frowned "What's funny?" she asked confused.

"I was just thinking about how much strength that would have took you to apologize to _me_"

Brooke scowled "I'm not Nathan you know"

This time it was Lucas who frowned "I didn't say you were" he answered hating even the name of his half brother.

Brooke nodded as the tension between the two grew. "So…I guess I better go…" she trailed.

"Do you need a ride home?" Lucas asked noticing that she didn't seem to have a car.

"From you? No thanks"

Lucas rolled his eyes "I thought we had passed all this…I just saved you from some asshole"

"And what? You beat up a guy that I could clearly handle myself and you think that I owe _you_ to give _me_ a ride home?" Brooke asked in disbelief "Get over yourself Scott" she said before turning around and walking away.

Lucas quickly jogged after her "You seem to me like one very stubborn girl Brooke Davis"

Brooke froze and snapped her head towards him "You don't know me"

"Well then let's get to know each other" Lucas smirked.

"I don't socialize with junkies" Brooke hissed coldly and she knew that that was a harsh.

Lucas's eyes immediately turned dark "You don't know a fucking thing about me either" he said angrily and Brooke immediately felt guilty.

"I know" she said apologetically "That was a low blow…I'm sorry"

Lucas was surprised with himself at how quickly it took him to stop his temper from rising. Maybe it was because he was tired…or maybe it was because of Brooke. He didn't know, but it surprised him.

"Look…do you want a ride or not?" Lucas asked with a sigh.

Brooke looked hesitant before nodding "Okay" she gave in.

--

Lucas pulled up outside of Brooke's house but she didn't move to get out, it actually didn't look like she would be moving anytime soon either.

"This is your house right?" Lucas asked unsurely as to why Brooke was still in the car. Surprisingly, the car ride was only awkward for the first couple of minutes before the two fell into a comfortable silence. "Brooke?" he asked again since she didn't answer.

"Yeah this is my house" she told him tiredly.

Lucas looked at her confused "If you're scared encase anyone will see us then don't worry about it…its really late anyway" he told her reassuringly.

Brooke let out a dry laugh "No…it's not that"

"Then what is it?" Lucas asked curiously.

"I wish my parents didn't exist…does that make me a terrible person?" she asked seriously.

Lucas shrugged "I wish my father was dead and that my half brother would join him…so what the hell does that make me?" he asked seriously.

Brooke looked at him sympathetically "I hate that Dan and Nathan are horrible to you"

"Whatever, I don't care" Lucas muttered as he gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"You know…I think you have had a pretty lucky escape. The amount of pressure that Dan puts on Nathan is scary" Brooke told him.

"Yeah well at least Nathan has somebody to put pressure on him" Lucas muttered coldly.

Brooke looked down at her hands and fiddled with them nervously before looking back up at Lucas "I'm sorry about your mom" she said hesitantly.

"It's okay" Lucas said in a tone that Brooke hadn't heard from him before…it was almost as if it was a gentle voice…soft even. She had never heard that from Lucas Scott before.

"Do you miss her?" Brooke asked.

"Sometimes" Lucas told her honestly "I know what you're thinking though, right? That that is a horrible thing to say and that I should miss her everyday…but honestly…I don't"

"I wasn't thinking that" Brooke said softly "But I would gladly have my mother die if it meant bringing yours back"

Lucas shook his head "Don't say that…you don't mean that"

"Do I not?" Brooke challenged "Because you would believe me if you ever met my mom" she finished before finally opening the door and stepping out. But before left she crouched down towards the open window "I guess I should apologize"

"For what?"

"Because…I was wrong about you Lucas Scott" she said softly and offering a small smile.

"Yeah well I was wrong about you too Brooke Davis" he smiled back.

Brooke shrugged "Don't worry…most people are" and with that she turned around and walked towards her house.

"The girl behind the red door" Lucas muttered to himself as he saw the red door close before quickly speeding away.

--

The two spent almost every day together for weeks before they finally admitted their growing feelings for each other. Brooke was a little more hesitant than Lucas because of Nathan but Lucas soon persuaded her that they didn't even have to tell anyone about them, that it would just be the two of them. And quickly as the summer continued the two began to become more serious and pretty soon they were in love.

_**End of flashback**_.

* * *

She was wrong. Brooke predicted that it would take Nathan and Peyton just two days to get back together. Now it had been almost two weeks and nothing seemed to change between the duo, maybe they had finally broken up for good?

She stood by Nathan's locker waiting for him to meet her for lunch since Peyton was spending hers in the art centre. She saw Lucas go to his locker across the hall and she sent him a sly sneaky glance which he gladly returned.

She gasped with freight as she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes. She quickly pulled away and hit the offender hard on the arm "Nathan!"

Nathan chuckled. He only wanted to surprise her; it wasn't his fault that Brooke got such a fright. "Chill Davis" he laughed.

"Tell that to me next time you sneak up on me like that" she said seriously before pushing him again.

Lucas watched from across the hall and rolled his eyes before slamming his locker shut and walking away. He didn't really want to see his girlfriend play buddy pals with his jerk of a brother.

"So…have you and Peyton talked today?" Brooke asked curiously as the two began to walk towards the cafeteria.

"Nope" Nathan answered stubbornly.

"So what? You two have broken up for good?" she asked.

Nathan frowned "How come I get the feeling that you're happy about that?"

"I'm not it's just…I don't know…you and Peyton always break up, it starts to become hard to take it seriously" Brooke told him honestly.

"I'm over it anyway" Nathan said truthfully.

"Over Peyton?" Brooke asked unsurely. She didn't think he was.

"Yeah" Nathan told her "She's needy and whiny and to be honest…I like the single life" he smirked.

Brooke rolled her eyes "Like that makes a difference…I know you have cheated on Peyton numerous of times"

Nathan looked at with her a raised eyebrow "If you know then why haven't you told her?" he challenged.

Brooke's mouth opened with shock. Was he serious? "I have never told her because I didn't want to hurt her!" she defended.

"No…you didn't tell her because you know that our relationship is utter crap" Nathan said with a shrug before pushing in line of some freshman in the dinner cue.

"You know Nathan…you can really be an ass sometimes" Brooke said coldly.

"Whatever…you love me anyway" he smirked.

"Shut up!" Brooke said with a small laugh as she hit his shoulder.

"Would you stop that?" Nathan asked annoyed as he rubbed his shoulder "You have one hell of a right hook"

"Wimp" Brooke muttered as she went to hit him again.

"Hey!" Nathan said grabbing a hold of her hand before she could hit him "Not so fast Brookie"

"Ass" Brooke said glaring at him.

"Buddy" Nathan smirked.

"Jerk"

"Little sis"

"Son of a bitch"

"Bestest friend"

"Asshole"

"You used ass already" Nathan chuckled.

Brooke give him a cold stare before giving him the finger and storming towards _their_ table.

"I love you too Davis!" Nathan shouted after her with a laugh.

Brooke was about to answer back but her cell rang and she pulled it out from her side back. She smiled down at the ID.

"Hey baby" Brooke said quietly, knowing that nobody could probably hear her and Nathan was in the middle of buying his lunch.

"**So…you love Nathan huh?" Lucas asked coldly.**

Brooke rolled her eyes but the smile stayed plastered on her face. She loved Lucas's jealous side. "You heard that?"

"**I think the whole damn cafeteria heard that" he muttered annoyed.**

Brooke looked across the room to see Lucas sitting at his table alone. He was looking directly at her and she couldn't help but smirk at him. "Yeah well I love you more"

"**You better" Lucas said seriously "I don't trust **_**him**_** around you" **

Brooke let out a small laugh "I have been best friends with Nate since I was seven years old…come on, give me some credit here"

"**I do give you credit baby…its him that I don't" Lucas said coldly "It's obvious that he likes you"**

"Of course he likes me…I'm his best friend" Brooke stated innocently. Lucas always tended to get a little too paranoid about her relationship with other guys. She remembered when she was talking to Tim alone and he saw them…he sent her a text warning her about him. Tim? Did he honestly think that Tim stood a chance with her? She couldn't help but laugh.

"**I mean he **_**likes**_** you" Lucas muttered annoyed, knowing that Brooke knew what he meant. **

"Luke" Brooke said with a sigh "You know that there is only one guy for me…and that's _you_" she told him seriously.

"**I just don't like it when other guys have their hands all over you" Lucas told her protectively "It makes me sick…not to mention how much it angers me that I can't even do anything about it" **

"No guys have their _hands all over me_" Brooke laughed mimicking him.

"**No but they want too…I can see it on their faces Brooke, it disgusts me…and Nathan earlier…" he trailed.**

"Look, I don't want to have this conversation with you on the phone in our school cafeteria…you're just being paranoid" Brooke told him reassuringly "I have to go Nathan is coming back" she said quickly and hung up before Lucas could get another word in.

"Who was that?" Nathan asked curiously as he sat opposite her. His plate stuffed with two burgers and two fries.

"Oh you got me something" Brooke smiled as she reached over before Nathan slapped her hand away.

"No…that's mine, get your own" Nathan said defensively.

"Pig" Brooke muttered and rolled her eyes.

"So…who were you just talking too?" Nathan asked suspiciously.

"Peyton" Brooke answered with a shrug

Nathan rolled his eyes "What did that bitch want?"

"Bitch?" Brooke asked with a laugh "You were claiming you loved her a month ago"

"Whatever…so what did she want?" he asked again impatiently.

"Nothing…just girl stuff" she told him knowing that that would be enough to bore Nathan. And she was right; he soon turned his attention back to his food giving Brooke a chance to glance over to Lucas who was glaring over at them. She gave him a small smile and he almost returned it until his best friend Jake sat down in front of him, blocking her view. She inwardly grunted. She never liked Jake.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well? Are you guys happy with this? This was basically just a chapter to show how Brooke and Lucas first met really…and also showing a glimpse of Lucas's protective and jealous side.

**So, pretty pretty please review! I really love to read them as they inspire me to write more! **

**Thanks again guys!**

**Sara x**


	3. Shawn Fern

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill! **

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews guys! I really means a lot! This is going to be the last update for about just over a week as I am going away for a week so I thought I would post this now rather than waiting until I get back :). So please Review! I love to read what you think! **

* * *

Lucas and Jake stood in the corner of this guy's house they knew. His name was Shawn Fern and he was a freshman at Tree Hill Community College. He was throwing a party at his huge mansion and he knew some guys that were interested in scoring some weed. So, that's how Lucas and Jake ended up here.

Lucas hated parties like this. They were full of immature guys chasing slutty girls. And when he could sell some stuff to them, they ended up being all over the place, not being able to handle the marijuana _and_ the numerous amounts of alcohol that these kinds of parties consisted of.

"Thanks man" Jake finished as he dealt with another customer. "You got anymore Luke? I've almost ran out"

Lucas checked his back pocket of his black cargo knee length shorts before shaking his head "Nope…it's all gone" he smirked "Shawn was right…this place is swarming with stoners"

Jake chuckled "I thought you hated these types of people" he said "You know…rich snobs…guys who think they are gods gift to girls…and the girls who will sleep with any guy with pants"

"Yeah well maybe I was wrong" Lucas muttered thinking about Brooke.

"Oh shit man" Jake gasped.

"What?" Lucas asked confused.

"Look who is here" Jake muttered pointing towards the entrance.

Lucas's eyes widened and he felt his heart beat a million times faster. There was the guy he hated the most and the person he loved the most.

"What the fuck are Nathan and Brooke doing here?" Jake asked shaking his head "This is supposed to be a college party"

Lucas's eyes hardened when he saw Nathan casually wrap his arm over Brooke's shoulder as he led her through the crowds of people.

"Luke?" Jake said waving his hand in front of his face. "You still here man?"

"Yeah" Lucas muttered

"Look…don't worry about Nathan being here…we can just stay out of his way" Jake said reassuringly "Or we could just go if you want to?" he asked.

"No" Lucas said sternly "I ain't going anywhere because of that asshole" he hissed coldly before storming away before Jake could get another word in.

* * *

"Nate this place is crazy!" Brooke said loudly over the music as Nathan led her into the kitchen.

"I know…pretty cool huh?" Nathan smirked as he handed her a beer before drinking his own.

"I guess if you like this sort of stuff" Brooke shrugged before taking a sip of her drink.

"This is much better than Theresa's party" Nathan said with a nod but his facial expression immediately changed "What the fuck is he doing here?" he asked angrily.

Brooke quickly turned around to see Lucas enter the kitchen. Her stomach began to throw summersaults and her heart began to beat faster and faster. Lucas held her gaze for a couple of seconds before turning to some guy he knew at the other side of the room.

Nathan's eyes blazed of fury as he looked over to his bastard of a brother "Is he fucking stalking me or something? Does he want my life that badly?"

"Nathan don't exaggerate" Brooke said shaking her head. He was being ridiculous.

"Why the hell are you defending him?" Nathan asked angrily.

"I'm not" Brooke argued "I'm just saying that maybe his life doesn't revolve around you"

"And how the fuck would you know?" Nathan asked coldly "Whose side are you on?"

"There shouldn't be any sides to anything Nathan! For god's sake! He's at the same party as you…big deal!" Brooke said frustratingly.

Nathan just glared at her angrily before storming out of the kitchen, but making sure he crashed into Lucas on his way.

"What the fuck" Lucas hissed as Nathan quickly turned around and the two brothers stood head to head. Both staring at each other angrily and intently.

Brooke held her breath and kept her footing, making sure she didn't rush over there to break them up just encase she made any sort of communication with Lucas that would make Nathan suspicious.

Both Lucas and Nathan stood against each other silently. Their foreheads almost touching as both of this fists tightened by their sides. It was basically an inner battle they were having with each other. Who would be the first one to snap or walk away?

However it was Nathan who stepped back first. He gave Lucas a look of disgust before angrily pushing the door to the kitchen open and walking out of the room.

Lucas watched him go with a look of anger on his face before turning around to face Brooke who looked at him sadly. He slowly walked towards her, turning his head back to make sure that Nathan was long gone.

"I'm sorry" Brooke apologized "About Nathan"

"Whatever" Lucas muttered as he took the beer from her hands and took a huge swig of it before handing it back to her "He's an asshole"

"What are you doing here anyway?" Brooke asked still quite shocked to see her boyfriend here.

"I was about to ask you the same thing" Lucas stated.

"Nathan knows the host" Brooke said with a shrug "He wanted to check it out so he asked me to come with him"

"Oh so you're his date now?" Lucas asked coldly.

Brooke rolled her eyes "It's not like that and you know it"

Lucas shook his head before changing the subject slightly "I just didn't think this type of party was your thing"

"And what type of party is this?"

"Well…most of the people here are stoned rather than drunk" Lucas said with a shrug.

"And I'm guessing you have a big part playing in that" Brooke suggested as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well I have to make money somehow" Lucas told her as he looked around the almost empty kitchen again before he protectively placed his hands on Brooke's waist.

"You know…you could get a job…like a normal person" Brooke suggested as she lightly tapped his chest which was covered by a white wife-beater.

Lucas frowned "I thought you didn't care about what I did"

"I don't" Brooke answered shaking her head "I was just saying…"

"Well don't" Lucas muttered.

Brooke sighed as she moved out of Lucas's grip.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he went to pull her back towards him.

"Nathan could come in at any second"

Lucas groaned frustratingly "But I have barely seen you all week!"

"I know…and I miss you but Nathan and Peyton have just broken up and I have to make sure that I spend some time with them both" Brooke told him apologetically.

"So what? They are more important than me now?" Lucas asked coldly.

Brooke shook her head "It's not like that" she hissed.

Lucas sighed loudly as he calmed down "I know…sorry" he mumbled "I just miss you that's all…it annoys me that you can spend all of this time with Nathan and you just fit me in whenever you can"

"Luke…if it was up to me then we would be together all the time…it's just hard"

Lucas nodded before an idea popped into his head "How about…we go upstairs" he smirked.

Brooke looked at him hesitantly "I don't know…Nathan might catch us"

"Brooke, have you seen the size of this house? There has to be a million bedrooms in here, there is no way that Nathan would look for you there anyway"

Brooke's frown turned into a sneaky smile "Ok" she smirked as she leant up and kissed him quickly "Follow me" she giggled as she left the room and Lucas followed, keeping a fair amount of distance between the two just encase Nathan or Jake saw them.

* * *

"I didn't know this party consisted of junkies too" Nathan hissed coldly as he stood behind Jake who was smoking some weed with a couple of other guys who were to out of it to care about Nathan's comments.

Jake chuckled as he exhaled the smoke "You know Nathan…you probably wouldn't be able to even handle any of this shit"

"Trust me, I wouldn't even want to try it" Nathan said coldly "I would hate to turn out like your bastard of a boyfriend now would I"

Jake glared at him "Fuck you"

"Nah" Nathan said shaking his head "You have gotten the wrong Scott there pal"

"I'm not your pal" Jake said angrily as he stood up to face Nathan.

"Sit back down asshole…I'm not going to fight you" Nathan chuckled as all it took was one push for Jake to fall back onto the couch.

"You're going to get what's coming to you someday Scott…you'll see!" Jake slurred as he took another puff from his blunt.

"Are you threatening me Jagelski?" Nathan asked amused at this loser in front of him.

"Don't tempt me" Jake got out.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh "Look at yourself…your worthless" he said in a disgusted tone. "You fag" he muttered before turning around and walking away.

* * *

Lucas's naked body rolled over on top of Brooke and kissed her hard on the lips.

"Hmm" Brooke moaned against his mouth before pulled away from the kiss "Luke…we better get back to the party"

Lucas shook his head as he began to kiss her neck "I don't want to" he mumbled against her skin as Brooke ran her hands down his bare back.

"Luke…we have been here for almost one hour" Brooke said as she moved her neck further to the side giving Lucas more access to her "Nathan will be looking for me"

Lucas groaned as he pulled away "You had to mention _him_ didn't you?" he said coldly rolling off of her and he began to sat up and put some clothes on.

"Luke…" Brooke moaned as she sat up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind "Don't be like this…" she whispered softly as she began to rub his chest seductively from behind.

"Like what Brooke?" Lucas asked coldly "We have just spent the last hour here together having some great great sex, and then you have to go and mention _him_"

"I know…I'm sorry" Brooke apologized as she kissed his shoulder softly "How about you come back to bed…for a little while longer" she whispered seductively as she began to trail kisses along his shoulder blades and up to his neck.

Lucas closed his eyes and tried to hold in a moan. He hated that Brooke could do this to him…but he loved it even more.

Without saying a word, Lucas quickly turned himself around and pinned Brooke down against the bed before kissing her passionately on the lips.

The door swung open widely causing Lucas to quickly jump off of Brooke. "What the fuck!" Lucas shouted at Shawn who stumbled into the room.

Brooke quickly covered her naked body with the covers and Lucas quickly threw on some shorts.

"Whoa! Sorry man" Shawn apologized before frowning as he saw Brooke "Wait…aren't you Nathan's girl?"

Lucas's faced immediately turned angry but Brooke quickly cut him off "I am _not_ Nathan's girl!"

"Man get the fuck out of here!" Lucas shouted angrily and Shawn quickly nodded. Knowing not to mess with Lucas Scott.

"Luke! What if he tells Nathan?" Brooke asked panicking as she quickly searched around the room for her clothes.

"He won't" Lucas said shaking his head "I mean…he thinks you are Nathan's _girl_" he hissed coldly.

Brooke rolled her eyes "I don't have time for your jealousy right now" she said seriously as she pulled her top over her head "Luke…he can't tell Nathan…he _can't_" Brooke said desperately as tears began to spring into her eyes.

"Baby…come here" Lucas said softly as he walked towards Brooke and placed his hands on her shoulders "Don't worry about Shawn…I will deal with him" he told her before pulling her in for a hug "Nathan won't find out about us, okay?" he said reassuringly.

Brooke nodded against his chest "Ok"

"Good" Lucas said as he pulled away from the hug "Now…I will go and find Shawn and I will call you later on tonight ok?"

"Ok" Brooke nodded as she reached up and kissed him softly "I love you"

"I love you too baby…now stay out of trouble" he said with a wink as he walked towards the door.

Brooke giggled "You too"

Lucas smirked at her one last time before leaving the room in search for Shawn, hoping for Brooke's sake that he hasn't spilled this to Nathan.

* * *

"Jake! Jake!" Lucas shouted over the music as he ran to see Jake who was lying on the couch.

"Lucas!" Jake slurred "Wait…what's that on your neck?" Jake asked pointing to the hicky that was now on his neck from Brooke.

"What?" Lucas asked confused.

"You have a hicky on your neck!" Jake giggled "I guess you scored tonight man!" he whooted as he went to give Lucas a high five but Lucas ignored him.

"Jake man…have you seen Shawn?" Lucas asked eagerly.

"Shawn…Shawn…." Jake rambled.

"Fucking hell Jake…have you seen him or not?" Lucas asked impatiently.

"No…why?" Jake slurred curiously.

"Doesn't matter" Lucas muttered before quickly walking away in search for Shawn.

* * *

"Shit!" Lucas groaned angrily as he saw Shawn standing talking to Nathan and some other guy in the kitchen.

He took a deep breath before walking towards him quickly and lightly pushing him back "Shawn I need to talk to you alone, _now_" he demanded.

"What the fuck man? You can't just barge in here, we are having a conversation" Nathan hissed coldly.

"Shut up man…I don't have time for this" Lucas said turning around and glaring at him before turning back to Shawn "I need to talk to you"

"Uh…sure…man" Shawn stuttered. "Is this about Brooke and-" he started but Nathan cut him off.

"Brooke? Brooke Davis?" Nathan asked confused and curiously.

Shawn was about to respond and Lucas needed to stop it. Nathan was too close to finding out the truth and if he didn't stop Shawn this very second then everything would come crashing down. So, he did the only thing that he thought of at the spot and that was to raise his fist and hit Shawn powerfully square in the jaw man.

"Ouy!" Shawn gasped as he fell back into the table.

"You bastard!" Nathan shouted as he went to tackle Lucas from behind. Lucas crashed straight into the floor and Nathan punched him twice in the face. Lucas gained control and kneed him in the stomach before he pushed Nathan off of him and beating his fist into his face until he felt someone pull him off of him.

"What the fuck is your problem!" Shawn shouted as he wiped the blood from his lip.

"I need to talk to you. _Now!_" Lucas demanded and Shawn could see the urgency and the anger in his eyes and he nodded "Ok" he agreed

"What? This punk just tried to beat you up and you want to talk to him? What the hell Shawn?" Nathan asked confused "And what the fuck is this about Brooke?" he asked.

"It's not fucking Brooke Davis you asshole! I wouldn't sink that low" Lucas hissed coldly but he felt guilty for saying it. He didn't think like that about Brooke…he loved her, he loved her so much and he just wanted her to be _his_, not Nathan's or Peyton's or anyone else's…just _his_.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Nathan asked angrily as he went to attack Lucas again but somebody held him back.

Lucas ignored him and turned back to Shawn "Come on" he commanded and Shawn followed him out of the kitchen and outside of the house onto the porch.

As soon as the two stepped outside Lucas grabbed Shawn by the collar and slammed him up against the wall "You listen here mother fucker and you listen to me good" he hissed "If you tell anyone, and I mean _anyone_ about what you saw in that bedroom earlier then I swear to god that I will hunt you down and make you wish you never messed with me" he threatened angrily as he tightened his grip on Shawn. "Do you get me man?"

Shawn nodded eagerly "Yeah man...I…I get you" he stuttered nervously and Lucas slammed his hand agaisnt the wall next to Shawn's head before he let go of him "Why are you even sleeping with her man? Is it to get back at Nathan?"

Lucas glared at him "Not that it's any of your business…but it's more than that and it has fucking nothing to do with Nathan…so if you tell him-"

"No! No I wouldn't I swear!" Shawn cut in fearfully.

"Good" Lucas said sternly before giving him one last threatening glance before going back into the party.

* * *

"Nate! What happened?" Brooke asked worriedly as she saw him putting an ice pack on his eye.

"I'm fine" Nathan hissed.

"Well you're obviously not since your sporting a shiner right there" Brooke said seriously as she held the ice pack there for him "So I will ask again…what happened?"

Nathan sighed "I got into a fight with Lucas"

"What? Why?" Brooke asked shocked and also a little fearful. Did he know about them? He wasn't acting like he did. Was Lucas ok?

"He punched Shawn for no reason" Nathan said with a shrug.

"So what? You punched him?" Brooke asked in disbelief. But she was also wondering why Lucas would punch Shawn. Did Shawn tell someone about them? Nathan?

"Brooke! Lucas is an ass! He hit the guy for no reason!" Nathan hissed "Why are you defending him?"

"I'm not!" Brooke argued

"Then just drop it!" Nathan said annoyed "Lucas is a jerk. We got in a fight. End of story"

Brooke sighed as she continued to dab his face with the ice pack.

* * *

"I'm bringing sexy back!" Jake sung in a slurred voice as Lucas practically dragged him up to the stairs of his apartment.

Lucas rolled his eyes at Jake's choice of song as they both stumbled into the apartment, Lucas immediately letting Jake fall onto the couch.

"Tonight was fun Luke…don't you think it was fun?" Jake slurred happily.

Lucas shrugged "It was eventful" he said as he thought about his fight with Nathan but then he smiled about his time with Brooke.

Lucas felt his phone vibrating from his pocket and laughed at the irony when he saw it was Brooke. "Hey Pretty Girl" he answered with a smirk as he walked into his bedroom.

"**Hey Broody" Brooke smiled as she lay in bed "Did you sort everything out with Shawn?" **

"You bet" Lucas told her "So don't worry…you don't have to worry about Nathan finding out" he grumbled.

"**Thanks baby" Brooke said sincerely "I'm going to go…I'm tired" **

Lucas smirked "I sure wore you out earlier huh?"

**Brooke giggled "You bet" she smiled repeating his earlier words. **

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Lucas asked eagerly.

**Brooke nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Yeah…I will call you in the morning though"**

"Okay…I love you babe"

"**Love you too" Brooke told him before hanging up. **

Lucas let out a heavy as he ran a hand over his buzzed head before walking back into the living room where Jake was passed out on his couch snoring louder then he thought was possible.

"Fucking hell Jake" Lucas muttered as he opened a cupboard door and pulled out a blanket before literally throwing it on top of him.

He heard Jake grumble something inaudible before pulling the blanket onto him properly.

* * *

Nathan groaned the next morning as he heard a banging sound coming from downstairs. "What the fuck?" he mumbled as he struggled to sit up. Too tired and hung over from the night before.

He then heard shouting, and he was up in a second when he heard his name and something hit off of his bedroom window.

"What the hell Peyton!" Nathan shouted angrily as he saw her throw another egg against the window.

"Fuck you Nathan Scott!" Peyton screamed angrily as she went to throw another egg.

After watching yet another egg hit off his bedroom window Nathan swung it open angrily "What are you doing?" he asked angrily looking down on her.

"What am _I_ doing?" she screamed "You told me you loved me Nathan! You told me you loved me!"

Nathan looked around with his eyes as he noticed his neighbors were starting to look out of their windows. "Peyton…do you have to be this drastic?" he hissed coldly.

"You're such a selfish bastard! I hate you!" she shouted as she threw another egg. Nathan quickly shut the window, avoiding being hit before swinging it open again.

"Will you just get the fuck out of here? I don't have time for your drama queen moments!"

Peyton walked determinedly to her car and Nathan let out a sigh of relief thinking she was leaving, however she pulled out a black bag before tipping out, letting everything in it fall out. It was his stuff. She then picked up some of his favorite CD's and began throwing them off of his window. Cursing every time she did so. His heart almost sunk when he saw what she pulled out next. His signed basketball frame from his favorite Bobcat's player.

He quickly ran down the stairs and swung the door open angrily and snatched it from her hands "You're fucking crazy!"

"Yeah" Peyton scoffed letting out a dry laugh "I must have been for falling for _you_"

"Just get out of here will you? My dad will be back soon!" Nathan said coldly as he roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her car.

"Get off me! You're hurting me" Peyton screamed however Nathan didn't loosen his grip as he swung her car door open and pushed Peyton into it.

"Stay the fuck away from me Peyton! You crazy bitch!" Nathan hissed coldly before slamming the door loudly.

Peyton gave him the middle finger before quickly speeding out of his driveway.

Nathan ran a hand through his hair and looked down realizing he was just wearing a pair of boxers and socks. He groaned as he looked back at his stuff scattered all over the floor and hurriedly shoved them back into the black bag before looking up at his yolk filled window and shaking his head and walked back into his house.

* * *

Lucas's hands roamed Brooke's body greedily as he kissed her hungrily, her hands travelling down his bare back, digging her nails into it. Lucas ran his hands over Brooke's chest and furiously ripped off of her bra and took each one of her breast into his hands and squeezing them before he began to massage them.

Brooke moaned into his mouth as her fingers trailed down his chest, towards his boxer shorts and letting her hand fall beneath the elastic.

"Brooke" Lucas moaned as he felt her hand lazily trail over his manhood.

'_Ha ha Yeah, Ha ha Breakdown come on'_ Madonna's Four Minutes song began to ring through Lucas's living room. And Lucas groaned as Brooke pulled away from their clearly hot make out session. "Just leave it" he muttered as the song continued to play louder and louder and they looked towards her cell phone vibrating on the coffee table.

"It might be important" Brooke mumbled as she sat up, pushing an annoyed Lucas off of her.

"It won't be…come on, just leave it" he said as he began to trail hot wet kisses along her neck. "Please"

Brooke gave in as she pulled Lucas's head back against hers and kissed him passionately as the two fell back onto the couch. Her phone eventually stopped and the two began to get back into things but were once again interrupted.

'_Ha ha Yeah, Ha ha Breakdown come on'_

Lucas groaned "For fuck sakes!" he muttered angrily as he sat up from Brooke.

Brooke mumbled that it was Peyton and placed her finger on her lips for Lucas to be quiet. However Lucas pulled her onto his lap and began to trail kisses up and down her neck and along her collarbone.

"He-Hello" Brooke answered distractedly as she closed her eyes from Lucas's hot kisses.

"Hm?" Brooke asked not really listening however she then heard the sobs coming from her best friend. "Peyt? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly as she stood up from Lucas's lap letting his hands fall onto his knees.

"What?" Brooke asked worriedly "Peyton slow down…what about Nathan?"

Lucas frowned. Not just because of her mentioning his ass of a brother but because Peyton interrupted them just to moan about her millionth breakup with the guy.

"Wh-What?" Brooke asked shocked and this time Lucas was generally interested.

"Peyton…I…Are you sure? This is Nate we are talking about" Brooke said quietly, worry etched on her face.

"No…I will be round in a minute okay?" Brooke said reassuringly before hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked curiously as Brooke began to search the room for her clothes.

"That was Peyton…she…she said that she and Nathan had this huge argument this morning and he…" she trailed shutting her eyes.

"He did what?"

"She said that…she said that he assaulted her" Brooke let out in a scared tone.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well? What did you guys think? I hope you all liked it! Please Please Please review! I really love to read them! They inspire me to write more :)

**And Lindsay! Hey! Lol! BRF! **

**Thanks again guys! (_and don't forget to review)_**

**Sara x**


	4. Drifting

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill! **

**A/N: Ok, so some of you guys were wondering where Haley is in this story. She is not in the story yet but she will be in the future. **

* * *

Lucas frowned "What do you mean he assaulted her?" he asked confused as he watched Brooke slip into her jeans.

"I…I don't know…she was crying and she said that Nathan assaulted her"

"That fucking bastard!" Lucas hissed angrily "Right that's it Brooke…I don't want you hanging out with him anymore, not if he can hit a girl!"

"What?" Brooke asked "You're not my dad Luke! We don't even know what happened…he might not have hit her"

"Oh so what? Assault means name calling now?" Lucas asked coldly "I'm not going to sit around and wait for him to hurt you"

"He wouldn't hurt me!" Brooke defended.

"Yeah well he has obviously hurt Peyton!"

Brooke let out a deep sigh as she ran a shaky hand through her hair "Look…I have to go…" she trailed.

Lucas nodded as he walked towards her and kissed her softly "Call me?"

Brooke nodded before giving him one last kiss before leaving his apartment. A huge question ringing through her mind. What did Nathan do?

* * *

"Nathan!"

"Nathan!"

"Nathan Scott get your ass down here right now!"

Nathan groaned as he heard his father's annoying voice shout up to his room. He grumbled before groggily walking down the stairs to see his father's stern face standing in the hall. "What?" he muttered annoyed.

"What?" Dan asked in disbelief shaking his head "Why are their egg yolks on your bedroom window? And why are the god damn neighbors pointing at it and whispering!" Dan shouted angrily "Want to explain this to me Nathan? Huh?"

Nathan shrugged "Peyton dropped by"

Dan scoffed "I should have known that girl would have had something to do with it! What did you do now huh? Cheat on her again? Called her fat?"

"Like you would care anyway!" Nathan hissed coldly.

"Oh I do care when this bitch brings this onto my property! Now I suggest you clean up that window!" Dan ordered.

"What? Can't you just pay someone to do it?" Nathan asked annoyed.

"No" Dan said sternly "You will do it yourself and take responsibility for your actions Nathan…it's about time you grew up and started acting like a man!" he hissed "And what the hell happened to your eye? Nathan scouts aren't going to be impressed by you turning up with black eyes for games! They don't want players who get into fights every damn week!" Dan shouted angrily.

"Whatever" Nathan grumbled as he went to walk back towards his room but Dan pulled him back.

"The bucket and sponge is in the kitchen…clean that mess up _now_"

"Fine!" Nathan hissed coldly before storming into the kitchen.

* * *

"Peyton? Peyton you here?" Brooke asked as she walked up the stairs to her best friends bedroom. "Peyt…hey…come here" Brooke said worriedly as she quickly walked towards the curly blonde who was crying on the bed and pulled her into her arms. "Hey, it's alright ok" she said reassuringly as rubbed circles on her back soothingly.

Brooke ran her fingers through Peyton's curls before reluctantly pulling away "What happened?" she asked worriedly as she looked down into her eyes, her hands comfortingly laying on her shoulders.

"I was just so sick of everything Brooke" Peyton said trying to catch her breath after crying. "I…I went to see go and see Nathan earlier and…I don't know…I freaked out" she admitted as she looked down.

"Ok…then what?" Brooke asked eagerly, she really wanted to know what had happened.

"Well…he wouldn't answer the door when I first knocked so I drove to the store down the street and bought some eggs"

"Eggs?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow.

Peyton nodded "I knocked again when I got back…you know…give him a chance to answer, but he didn't so I guess…well…I starting to throw the eggs off of his bedroom window"

Brooke couldn't help but let out a small laugh. She wished she could have seen the look on Nathan's face when he woke up to that, although, her smile faded when she realized that it must have turned out badly.

"He came to the window but he still didn't seem to care…" Peyton carried on "So I started to throw some of his junk, CD's and stuff but then I got to that signed photo frame…you know, the one he loves, it was signed by his favorite basketball player"

"Yeah I know it" Brooke nodded.

"Well he flipped out, thinking that I was going to throw it and before I even had time to, he was out the door and he grabbed my arm" she said with a small sob.

"It's ok Peyt…" Broke said reassuringly, urging her to continue.

"He…he dragged me to my car Brooke, he _literally_ dragged me to it" Peyton told her shaking her head "He pushed me into my seat and slammed the door and practically forced me out of his life for good Brooke…"

Brooke frowned "Wait…so…so he didn't hit you?"

Peyton looked at her confused "No…"

Brooke shook her head in confusion "But…but you said on the phone that Nathan pretty much assaulted you"

"He did" Peyton nodded "He grabbed my arm so roughly…and then he dragged me to the car"

"Peyton" Brooke muttered annoyed "I thought he had actually _hit_ you"

Peyton let out a dry laugh "Please…like Nathan would ever hit a girl"

Brooke let out a grumble in annoyance. She could have been spending this time alone with Lucas but instead she was at Peyton's house, comforting her over yet another breakup.

"Wait…you don't think that Nathan is actually capable of hitting me right?" Peyton asked in disbelief.

"Well no…not at first…but you sounded so upset on the phone Peyton…I guess I just assumed the worst"

"I was upset because he basically just cut me out of his life for good" Peyton told her "I saw today that he doesn't care about me the same way that I care about him…I don't know…maybe he just doesn't love me anymore" she said sadly.

Brooke shook her head "You know what…I…I have to go"

"What why?" Peyton asked confused "Brooke…I am going through a serious breakup right now and you are just going to leave me?"

"Peyton…honey…I am going to say this in the nicest way possible" Brooke said gently as she placed her hand on top of hers "You and Nathan break up _all_ the time…and I am actually _happy_ that this time it's for good"

Peyton's jaw dropped "What do you mean you are happy?"

"Well Peyt…me comforting you over yet another break up with Nathan, well…it starts to get kind of old" Brooke said with a slight cringe as she waited for Peyton's reply.

"Well fine…just go…I mean I wouldn't want to bore you!"

Brooke rolled her eyes "Don't be like that…I am just being honest with you"

"Yeah well your _honesty_ is not wanted here…so go!"

"Fine! I will!" Brooke muttered annoyed before leaving the house.

* * *

Nathan annoyingly scrubbed his bedroom window from his spot on the slanted roof. He couldn't believe he was spending his Saturday morning washing egg yolk off his window! Peyton could be such a bitch.

"So Peyton wasn't lying when she said she egged your house"

Nathan turned his head to see Brooke looking at him with an amused expression on her face before taking out her cell phone and taking a picture.

"It's not funny!" Nathan warned as he saw Brooke try to stifle a laugh. "And you better delete that!"

Brooke laughed before climbing up the ladders and onto the roof before sitting down and leaning her back against the wall.

"Peyton is such a bitch" Nathan muttered angrily as he sat down next to her.

Brooke nodded along with him but decided not to say anything else about the _assault_. "So…was your Dad pissed?" she asked.

Nathan nodded "Oh yeah…and then he noticed this" he muttered pointing to his black eye "And had a go at me about the scouts"

"And now here you are cleaning your bedroom window" Brooke stated.

"Yep" Nathan muttered as he leant his head against the wall.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Brooke finally broke the silence "Can you remember when we were younger and we used to always come up here and sit watching the stars at night in the summer?" Brooke asked in distant voice.

"Yeah" Nathan nodded with a small smile "I remember"

"That was a good summer…we were what? Nine? Ten?"

"Ten I think" Nathan commented.

"Yeah" Brooke nodded "We just used to go around to Bevin's house almost every day and play in her pool" she said with a small laugh "Then at night we would watch movies and come back here to watch the stars"

"It was nice" Nathan admitted "Those were the days before everything got so screwed up huh?" he asked with a small laugh.

"Nah" Brooke said shaking her head "Everything was still screwed up; we were just too young to care"

* * *

Lucas came out of the shower to hear his front door slam; he walked out of the bathroom with just his towel wrapped around his waist confused. Was Brooke back already?

He was surprised to see his best friend standing there looking a mess "Hey man" he grumbled as he slumped onto the couch.

"Jake? What the hell are you doing here?" Lucas asked annoyed. Jake told him he was going to be spending the day at home so Brooke was supposed to be staying at his that night. Yet here was Jake, strolling into his apartment without even knocking and Lucas could only be thankful that Brooke wasn't here.

"Good day to you too" Jake muttered as he placed a cushion on top of his head.

"I thought you were staying home today?" Lucas asked.

"I was…but my dad noticed that I was hung over so he started to lecture me about _the dangers of alcohol_" he muttered mimicking his father's voice.

"Yeah well…you can't stay here all day!" Lucas warned. He was still planning on spending the rest of the day with Brooke, and Jake wasn't going to stop that. Whether he asked him to leave nicely or if he dragged him out of his apartment physically.

"Why not?"

"Because…I have plans" Lucas mumbled as he walked into the kitchen area and took a bottle of water from the fridge and taking a sip from it.

"Like what? Sitting around here all day playing video games?" Jake asked in a grumbled voice.

"No…I'm meeting someone" Lucas said only half lying.

Jake raised his eyebrow as he sat up "Who?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nobody that concerns you"

Jake frowned "You're not dealing without me are you? Fuck you Lucas if you are" he said coldly as he stood up "What? You want the money to yourself? Is that it?" he hissed.

"Fucking hell Jake!" Lucas said angrily "Give me some credit here! I wouldn't do that to you!"

Jake eyed Lucas suspiciously "So then what do you want me out of here for? Who are you meeting? Is it a chick?"

Lucas grumbled as he ran a hand over his head.

"Oh it is isn't it?" Jake laughed "So…what's she like? Is she hot?" he asked eagerly.

"Shut up man" Lucas muttered annoyed.

"Is it the same girl who gave you that hicky on your neck?" Jake asked smirking "Can I meet her?"

"No you can't" Lucas growled "So please…just leave!"

"Alright alright" Jake chuckled shaking his head before patting Lucas on the back "Good luck" he finished before leaving the apartment,

* * *

"Peyton to me sounds like a right crazy bitch" Lucas said shaking his head after Brooke had told him what really happened. The two sat together on the couch, Lucas lying down with his head on Brooke's lap.

"She's not" Brooke said shaking her head as she lightly grazed her fingers over Lucas's buzzed hair. "At least she never used to be…I mean…Nathan really has messed her up" she sighed honestly.

"Nathan's an asshole" Lucas muttered coldly.

"Yeah…well so are you" Brooke smirked as she leant down and kissed him quickly before sitting back up.

"You know that you make me a better person when I'm around you Brooke?" Lucas asked seriously before letting out a dry laugh "God, if Jake saw me like this now…he would never let me live it down"

"I don't know what I would do without you now Luke…seriously…you are amazing" Brooke smiled as Lucas leaned up and kissed her softly.

"God, when did we get so sentimental?" Lucas asked with a laugh as he laid his head back on her lap "Let's cut down on the cheese huh?" he smirked.

Brooke giggled "Alright" she smirked before going back to trace patterns on his head "You know…you could try growing your hair out a little…I think it would suit you"

"I would grow my hair to my shoulders baby if you wanted me to" Lucas said seriously but then began shaking his head "But I like my hair this short…I don't have to deal with it"

"Hm…I guess so" Brooke said before smirking "And you do look incredibly hot with short hair"

"Oh so I look hot do I?" Lucas flirted as he sat up

Brooke nodding with a seductive smile "Not as hot as me though"

"Oh" Lucas smirked "Now why do I agree with you?" he grinned as he leant towards her so that their lips were almost touching.

"Mhm…because you know it's true" Brooke whispered as she looked down at his lips just waiting for them to crash onto hers.

"Right" Lucas whispered and Brooke closed her eyes as she felt his breath against her. Just as she was about to close the gap, Lucas leant down and began tickling her.

"Lucas!" Brooke gasped as she struggled to get out of his grasp "Stop!" she giggled loudly as Lucas ticked her sides and blew raspberries in her neck.

"Nope" Lucas smirked as he tickled her more.

"Ah!" Brooke screamed laughing "Please"

"Say you love me!" Lucas smirked as he stopped tickling her.

"Never!" Brooke got out in between her laughter.

"Fine!" Lucas laughed as he began tickling her again, this time much worse as Brooke's laughter could probably be heard throughout the whole apartment. "Say you love me!" he urged.

"No!" Brooke giggled.

"Go on"

"Fine!" Brooke said breathlessly as Lucas finally let go of her "I love you Lucas Scott"

Lucas smirked as he pushed some of her hair from her face "Love you too baby" he grinned before crashing his lips onto hers.

He pulled away before standing up and lifting Brooke over his shoulder.

"Luke!" Brooke gasped in freight as she erupted into another fit of giggles.

Lucas chuckled as he slapped her ass and carried her into his bedroom.

* * *

Brooke sat in the library on the Monday morning. She smiled thinking about her weekend spent with Lucas, it wasn't very often when she would get away with spending the whole weekend at his apartment or him at her house but luckily they were able to, although there was the small Peyton/Nathan drama but that was dealt with pretty quickly.

She was in the middle of reading her magazine when she heard hip hop music crash down from across her. She looked up annoyed to see Jake Jagelski sit opposite her with his earphones blasting music from them.

"Excuse me? But uh…this table is taken" Brooke said as politely as possible.

"What?" Jake asked taking his headphones out so he could hear "Would you like to repeat that?"

"I said…this table is taken" she hissed

Jake looked around at the two other empty seats "It doesn't look taken to me" he replied.

Brooke glared at him "I'm busy and you're distracting me!"

Jake leaned over the desk "Hmm…Cosmo, very educational"

Brooke frowned "Can't you just go and annoy someone else?" she asked coldly.

"Do you see anymore spare seats around here lady?" Jake asked rudely as Brooke looked around the crowded library "No…I didn't think so"

"Well maybe you should sit outside! You know, with all the other creatures? It is where you belong!" Brooke hissed in an icy tone.

"You know…do you ever wonder why your table has the only free seats princess?" Jake asked but before Brooke could answer he cut her off "It's because you're a bitch and nobody else wants to sit here"

"Was that supposed to offend me?" Brooke asked in a scoff "Please…my grandma could come back with a better comeback then that and she's dead!" she hissed.

Jake nodded with a sarcastic smile "Damn…your grandma must have been pretty cool when she was around. Hopefully she wasn't anything like you"

"You don't know me!"

"No…thankfully I don't!" Jake said nastily "Although…I'm sure half of the guys in here do" he smirked "Well…at least your body anyway"

"Fuck you!" Brooke shouted angrily as she gathered her things and stood up before leaving the table.

"Thanks for the table!" Jake chuckled as he shouted after her. Brooke turned around and gave him the finger. She never liked him.

* * *

"There are some ignorant snobs in this school" Jake muttered annoyed as he slumped down next to Lucas in their History class.

"What crawled up your ass?" Lucas asked amused.

"Brooke fucking Davis that's what!" Jake said shaking his head in annoyance

Lucas gulped slightly as he wondered what had happened between the two. He knew that for some reason they both didn't like each other. He had no idea why. But they didn't. "Why? What'd she do?" he asked curiously. He struggled to sound like she was in the wrong already when he asked that question.

"Well…I was in the library trying to study during my free period and the only table with seats free was the one that Brooke was sitting on. And obviously, with her being _Queen Brooke_ she bit my head off for sitting there!" he told Lucas annoyed "What a bitch" he muttered.

Lucas felt himself grow angry. He clenched his knuckles by his sides as he struggled to hide his anger from his best friend. How was he supposed to know not to bad mouth Brooke in front of him?

"Yeah…man…sounds…messed up" Lucas stuttered distractedly.

Thankfully for Lucas, the teacher came in and hushed them quiet so Lucas didn't have to listen to Jake bad mouth his girl for much longer.

* * *

"God…some guys are such pigs" Brooke muttered annoyed as she sat down next to Nathan in class.

"Who?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Jake Jagelski"

"Do you want me to kick his ass for you?" Nathan asked seriously "I've been waiting for an excuse to beat the shit out of that arrogant junkie"

"No" Brooke said seriously "Don't!" she said sternly thinking about what Lucas would have to say if Nathan did fight him.

"You sure?"

"Yes!"

"Fine" Nathan said rolling his eyes "Your loss"

"So…what's it like to be officially single Scott? No Peyton on your back?" Brooke asked changing the subject.

Nathan smirked "Nice...all the girls are dropping at my feet" he chuckled.

Brooke scoffed "You're such a guy!"

"Hey! You asked!" Nathan defended.

"Your right…I did…remind me not to next time"

"Gladly"

"Ha!" she hissed sarcastically.

"Ha!" Nathan mocked.

"Nathan!" Brooke grunted annoyed. She hated it when he did that to her.

"Brooke!" Nathan smirked dragging out her name.

"Stop it!" Brooke moaned dramatically.

"_Stop it!_" Nathan laughed mimicking her voice.

"You're so immature Nathan!" Brooke huffed.

"Ha! Says you!"

"Shut up!" Brooke gasped as she reached over and punched him in the arm.

"Fucking hell Brooke! What did I tell you about the violence huh?" Nathan asked seriously as he rubbed his arm.

"Yeah well you deserved it! Ass!"

"Brooke Davis! That language should not be used in this classroom" Miss Bern said strictly shaking her head. Brooke was sure that this woman was like 100 years old and she was just hoping that old bag would retire before she graduated. She seemed to have a very personal vendetta against her, she was sure of it!

"Sorry Miss Bern" Brooke said with a fake sweet smile.

"I don't think you are Miss Davis…detention tomorrow night. One hour" the old women gave out strictly and Brooke groaned.

She turned her head angrily as she saw Nathan trying to hide his laughter. "This is not funny!" Brooke hissed under her breath. Hoping she wouldn't get caught.

However Nathan couldn't control himself as he burst into a fit of laughter "Nathan!" Brooke squeled angrily as she punched him again in the arm.

"Miss Davis! Lets make that two hours shall we?"

Brooke's jaw dropped. What the hell was up her ass? "But-" she started before the teacher cut her off.

"Do you want to make that for the rest of the week?"

Brooke immediately shut her mouth and shook her head.

"I thought so" Miss Bern said sternly before turning to face the board.

Brooke turned her head at Nathan who was looking very amused. She glared at him as if to say 'I'm going to kill you later!'

Nathan shrugged with a smirk plastered on his face before turning away from her, knowing that if he would get another detention, his dad would kill him.

* * *

Lucas sat at Brooke's dressing table and looked at all the photos of her and her friends around her mirror. There were loads of pictures of her and Nathan and her and Peyton and of the three of them together. There was also a couple of her with Rachel or some other cheerleaders and there was one of both the cheer squad and the basketball team together. He couldn't help but wonder what it was like to be a part of that world. He knew he shouldn't. Because he hated everything about it…he hated cheerleaders (bar Brooke and maybe Rachel on her none bitchy days). He hated jocks and he hated being known (popularity) by other students, he hated how they wanted to know everyone's business. Lucas was a bit of a loner, he kept himself to himself and he liked it that way.

He smiled as he felt two soft hands wrap around his shoulders and rub his chest from behind. "You know…If I could…this whole mirror would be covered of pictures with you" Brooke whispered huskily as she kissed his neck.

"Mhm" Lucas moaned as Brooke trailed wet hot kisses up and down his neck.

"Brooke!"

"Shit!" Brooke muttered panicking as she pulled away. "Oh my god…ok…in the cupboard! Get in the cupboard!" she said panicking.

"What? The cupboard?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

"It's either the cupboard or the receiving end of Nathan's fist!" Brooke hissed as she pushed him backwards into the cupboard.

"Brooke…Hey…I was calling you" Bevin said cheerfully as she skipped into Brooke's bedroom.

Brooke slammed her wardrobe shut just in time as she leant against it nervously "Hey Bev…what are you doing here?"

"Oh right…well…there is this awesome party tonight thrown by some college guy and me and the girls were wondering if you were coming?" Bevin asked cheerfully as she sat down on the bed.

"Um…not tonight Bevin…I have things to do"

"Like what? Gosh Brooke, what could possibly be more important than this? Okay, so maybe clothes but that's not the point" Bevin rambled.

Lucas struggled to stifle a laugh from his position in Brooke's wardrobe. Was this girl for real?

"Um Bev…lots of things are more important than parties"

"Please" Bevin scoffed "Gosh You sound like Peyton…who by the way...went all psycho on me when I told her and Nathan and I hooked up while they were together" Bevin said in disbelief "Can you believe that Brooke? I am trying to do her a favor by telling her how much of a cheater Nathan was and that she is better off without him and she starts shouting at me?" Bevin asked with a roll in her eyes "Gosh, some people are so ungrateful"

Lucas literally had to hold in a laugh. This girl was hilarious! A complete bimbo.

"Hm…Yeah Bevin" Brooke said with a slight nod. "So…why don't you go and get ready for the party huh?"

"So you're coming?" Bevin asked excitedly clapping her hands together like a little girl.

"No Bevin" Brooke sighed "I'm not…but you go…and have fun" Brooke said fake smiling as she practically had to push Bevin towards her bedroom door.

"Gosh Brooke! You are getting very boring…you're not partying anymore! You barely hang out with us anymore! Gosh Brooke you are drifting!"

"Right okay Bevin…thank you…bye!" Brooke said eagerly with a fake smile plastered on her face as she escorted Bevin out of her house.

Brooke grunted annoyed as she ran a hand through her hair before walking back into her bedroom.

"Gosh Brooke? Your drifting!" Lucas mimicked sarcastically as he burst into fits of laughter.

"Hey! You're not funny! Bevin is one of my best friends!" Brooke said defending her friend.

"Oh…right…Okay…Gosh Brooke! I'm sorry!" Lucas smirked as he clapped his hands together excitedly.

Brooke tried to stifle a laugh at Lucas as she wrapped her arms around his neck "Ssh" she giggled as she leant up and kissed him softly "Be quiet baby"

"Why?" Lucas asked as he began to trace kisses down her neck.

"Because I said so" Brooke smirked as she brought his lips back onto hers and pulled away quickly.

Lucas opened his eyes slightly shocked and wanting more "Bro-"

"Don't mock my friends" Brooke smirked and winked before walking into her bathroom.

Lucas groaned as he fell back onto her bed. He hated it when she teased him. But he loved it more.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Thanks for reviewing the last chapter guys. I love to hear what you all think. So please review again for this chapter! I love to read them :)

**Thanks guys!**

**Sara x**


	5. Isolation

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill! **

* * *

"This place is...crazy" Jake said in disbelief as he and Lucas walked into yet another college party. The parties they went to were always wild. But this…this was crazy. It was held in a fraternity house at Duke University and the party was full of jocks. Jocks that Lucas couldn't stand.

"Sure is" Lucas muttered under his breath as the two made their way through the crowds of students grinding up against each other.

"This is wild!" Jake laughed. Unlike Lucas, Jake loved parties like this…to him, it meant easy money, free booze and lots of girls. And even though Lucas couldn't stand the guys here that they sold their drugs to and although they apparently _ruled_ their peers, they were suckers when it came to business. They had no clue about the world of dealing which is why Jake and Lucas took advantage of that and charged them almost double than they would with anyone else.

"Dude…put the phone away. We are working here!" Jake smirked as he lifted the phone from Lucas's hands "Who you texting?" he teased.

"Jake!" Lucas said sternly as he tried to get his phone back "Fucking hell Jake you aren't funny! Give me my phone back!" he hissed as he snatched the phone from his hands.

"Whoa man…calm down" Jake said half heartedly laughing "I was just joking man"

"Yeah well you're not funny" Lucas said coldly as he looked back down at his phone.

"What's up with you Luke man? What's your fucking problem?"

"Nothing" Lucas muttered as he looked around the crowded room "Just…just get rid of the shit yeah?" he said tiredly before going outside onto the porch. Brooke hadn't been replying to his texts or answering his calls and he was wondering what he had done to piss her off.

* * *

Brooke leant down towards her smashed up cell phone which was lying on the floor in the hall. She sighed deeply as she looked towards the kitchen where her parents were in the middle of having their 10th argument they have had since they returned 3 hours ago. Brooke couldn't understand why they would just divorce already…or better yet…leave Tree Hill for good!

"No Victoria! You don't get to have a say in this!" she heard her father's voice echo through the house.

Her father's temper was pretty bad when he was fueled up. This led to the damaged cell phone in her hand. She only came into the kitchen to get a glass of water and something to eat. She placed her cell phone down on the counter as she rummaged through the fridge for food. She was quickly interrupted by her arguing parents storming into the room. They probably didn't even notice she was standing in the room if it wasn't for her phone vibrating against the table. Of course, this annoyed her father who was still in the middle of a heated fight with her mom. He grabbed the phone in frustration before throwing it out of the room and it crashed against the wall in the hall. She furiously stormed out of the room. Not that her parents even noticed.

"Richard! You are being ridiculous!" her mother's vicious tone made her wince. That tone was used towards her so many times that Brooke had sometimes gotten to the point where she wished she was deaf.

* * *

"Luke man…check out these girls!" Jake slurred as he led Lucas into some guys bedroom where there was three blonde girls lying seductively on the bed with some guy in the middle of them.

"We get one each man!" Jake laughed excitedly as he made his way towards the bed.

Lucas looked on disgustedly. Maybe he would have been interested in this sort of stuff 6 months ago. But not now. Not now that he had Brooke. "No thanks" Lucas muttered.

"Why not man?" Jake asked from his place on the bed as one of the girls seductively wrapped their arms around Jake's neck. "This is so hot dude! Just take your pick!"

"I said no!" Lucas muttered annoyed as he looked back down at his cell and left the room.

"Lucas man…what's up?" Jake asked chasing after his best friend. He tried to run but he was too stoned too.

"Jake…I'm not interested in that sort of stuff alright?" Lucas said in annoyance "I've come here to sell my shit and move on…simple"

"Yeah alright…but that doesn't mean we can't have fun while were here man…just chill out a bit alright? Where's the wild ass skirt chasing Lucas Scott we all used to know and love?"

"That guy didn't realize the good stuff that didn't involve partying or drugs or sex" Lucas said shaking his head as he thought about Brooke. "Things are more important than that Jake…_people_ are more important"

Jake looked at him with a confused expression on his face. Luckily, the guy was too much out of his head to care about what Lucas had just said "Whatever man…but there's a hot lady in there waiting for you if you change your mind" he finished before stumbling back towards the bedroom.

"I already have my own hot lady" Lucas mumbled to himself as he checked his cell phone once again.

* * *

Maybe Brooke wasn't just avoiding him. Maybe he hadn't done something to piss her off. Maybe there was something seriously wrong, Lucas thought worriedly as he sat in the back of their English class. Their English class that Brooke was supposed to be in right now but wasn't. She still hadn't returned his calls and he was starting to get really frustrated. It wasn't like he could just go and ask Peyton where she was or just go round to her house to check up on her. But then suddenly he raised an eyebrow .Maybe he could?

Nathan and Peyton and everyone would all be at school. Her parents were away for the rest of the month so what was stopping him from going round to her house right now and just making sure she was okay? I mean…he is her boyfriend, and that is what boyfriends do right?

"Excuse me Sir?" Lucas said raising his hand up. The teacher looked up at him and motioned for him to carry on "May I go to the bathroom?" he asked and the teacher nodded without saying a word. Lucas sneakily gathered his equipment together and left the classroom knowing that he wasn't going to return.

--

He stood behind the tree near her house discreetly. His baseball cap pulled down and his hood over his head. He knew that to a stranger he must look really suspicious right now, probably like he was about to burgle a house, especially in this neighborhood. But he didn't care. He needed to see her.

So, he took in a deep breath as he walked along the path towards the red door. He looked around slightly before knocking.

He swung back and forth from his heels to his toes patiently as he waited for the door to be answered. He dug his hands deep into his pockets on his hoody as he again turned his head to make sure nobody was looking. Finally, he heard steps coming towards the door.

"Lucas!" Brooke whispered in a hiss annoyed as she practically pushed him backwards before closing the door behind her "What are you doing here?"

Lucas frowned. What was he doing here? What kind of question was that! "Well you weren't returning my calls or my messages and you weren't in school today so I-"

"So you thought that you would come to my house with no warning and risk us getting caught? Nice one genius!" Brooke hissed coldly.

"What's your fucking problem Brooke? I came here because I was worried about you!" Lucas argued.

"Keep your voice down!" Brooke warned whispering loudly.

It was then that Lucas actually took in his girlfriend's appearance. Her hair was tied back into a messy pony tail and she was wearing sweats and a plain tank top. She looked a bit shaken up and tired like she had just been crying and it was then that Lucas really started to get worried.

"Hey…are you alright?" Lucas asked quietly but concerned.

Brooke let out a deep sigh "My parents are home…"

"Oh"

Brooke had told him about her parents a lot. And from what he knew, they weren't good people. Her mother sounded like a complete old and bitter bitch and her father just sounded like an ignorant asshole. He didn't like them. Simple. And if they had obviously made Brooke cry, then he _hated_ them. "Fuck them Brooke…come with me"

"Luke…they will be wondering where I am" Brooke sighed shaking her head "I can't just leave"

"What? You mean like what they have done to you all your life?" Lucas asked with a raised eyebrow "I don't want you here with them…come on…just come with me"

"Lucas…"

"No I'm serious Brooke" Lucas urged as he grabbed her hand "Come on!"

"But I don't have any shoes…" Brooke mumbled motioning down to her bare feet.

"My car is parked up the street…come on!" he said with a small smile as he pulled her towards him.

"Urgh fine!" she smiled as she the two ran from Brooke's house.

* * *

"Where's your boyfriend?" Rachel asked casually as she sat across from Jake during their free period.

Jake looked up and glared at her. He was recovering from a killer hangover, he knew partying like that on a Sunday night was never good for him in the morning but he still carried on to do it. "I don't know" he muttered.

"Yeah well he owes me money" Rachel told him annoyed "And I see you have a hangover…wild party last night?" she asked smirking.

"Wild? Baby it was crazy!" Jake grinned "And there were lots of hot girls!"

"God…your such a guy" Rachel said rolling her eyes "But if you see Lucas…tell him I'm looking for him"

"Will do" Jake mumbled as he slumped his head back against the table.

* * *

"So…what do we do now?" Brooke asked with a small laugh as she sat on a stool in Lucas's kitchen area.

Lucas shrugged "When do your parents go away again?" he asked.

"In a few more days…" Brooke told him hesitantly "Why?"

"Well then it looks like I have a house guest" Lucas smirked "Just stay here"

"What? No way! My parents will go ballistic!" Brooke said shaking her head "It's not going to work"

"Yes it will" Lucas urged "They can't go ballistic because they won't see you…just phone them later and tell them that your fine and that your staying with a friend for a few days"

"I don't think they will be fine with that"

"Doesn't matter…it's not like they can stop you…I mean you are already here" Lucas said with a shrug "You don't need them Brooke…you have _me_"

"Okay…so say if I did agree…then what? What about Jake or school? Or Nathan…Peyton…?" Brooke asked hesitantly.

"Fuck it" Lucas smirked "I will make sure Jake stays away and just give Peyton and Nathan the same excuse as your parents…and school…well I only go to school to see your face everyday anyway so that's not a problem for me since you won't be there" he smiled.

"Trust me…Nathan is going to need more convincing" Brooke sighed.

"Look" Lucas said taking her hands in his "You don't need them…just leave him and your parents a message explaining what I told you and turn your cell off for the rest of the week"

"So what? We just isolate ourselves from everyone and stay in your apartment for four days?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lucas smirked "We will do exactly that" he said seductively as he brought her hand towards his mouth and kissed her knuckles softly. "You, me…my bed…the shower…the couch" he smirked "Everything we could ever need"

"You have such a little dirty mind baby" Brooke grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You love it" Lucas grinned as he began to trail kisses along her neck.

"I do" Brooke mumbled as she pushed Lucas towards his bedroom.

* * *

"Brooke! I swear to god! You better call me back! You are really starting to piss me off!" Nathan shouted angrily down the phone before slamming his cell shut.

"Whoa there Scott…what's up?" Rachel asked laughing slightly at Nathan's temper.

"Brooke that's what!" Nathan said coldly shaking his head as he looked back down at his phone.

"Oh? What's she done now?" Rachel asked curiously.

"She left a message on my phone three days ago saying that she's gone to stay with some friend for a couple of days! Doesn't even tell me who or where! Can you believe her?" Nathan ranted "And not only that…but her parents keep on calling my parents asking if she is with me! My Dad is getting really annoyed with it!"

"I thought Brooke's parents didn't really care about her anyway" Rachel muttered "They are like mine after all"

"They don't" Nathan said "They just don't want to cause a scandal to ruin their rep" he muttered annoyed.

"So she didn't even say where she was staying?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Nope" Nathan said in annoyance "She can be so selfish sometimes"

Rachel pressed her finger against her chin with a raised eyebrow "Sounds to me like Brooke has a mystery man"

Nathan's head snapped towards the redhead "What? No, don't be stupid…if Brooke was dating someone I would know about it!"

"Hm…Okay then" Rachel said still unconvinced "I will see you around Scott" she smiled before skipping away.

Nathan grunted as he opened his cell phone once again "Brooke…call me!" he hissed done the phone sternly.

* * *

"Baby…come back to bed!" Lucas moaned as he outstretched his arm trying to pull Brooke back.

Brooke shook her head "I'm hungry" she told him as she put nothing but his large shirt over her body.

Lucas had to admit that she looked _good_ in his clothes. This made him want to be inside of her again even more. "We can get something to eat later…come on…just come to bed"

"Soon" Brooke smirked shaking her head as she left the bedroom.

"Come back to bed!" Lucas shouted after her as he attempted to sit up but fell straight against his pillow.

Brooke walked into the kitchen and searched through the cupboards for something to eat. She saw her cell phone on the bench and she picked it up, having a growing argument in her mind whether or not to answer it. She guessed that she probably had a billion missed calls from Nathan and maybe Peyton but like Lucas said, they were allowed to isolate themselves for the rest of the world. Even if it just was for one week.

* * *

"Wow Jake…you are really starting to look more and more alone these days" Rachel smirked as she approached Jake who was standing bored by his locker.

"Yeah tell me about it…Lucas has practically disappeared" Jake muttered annoyed "He won't even let me go stay at his apartment while he is away! He thinks he can save money by it or something"

Rachel frowned "Wow…there must be something going around" she mused "I was just talking to Nathan and-Oh!" Rachel gasped in shock as Jake looked at her confused.

"What?" Jake asked confused.

"Uh…nothing" Rachel mumbled still in shock "Uh…I have to…go"

"Go where?" Jake asked still confused.

"To see…someone!" Rachel stuttered as she quickly backed away.

She quickly walked outside of the school building and leant against the wall. It wasn't possible was it? Brooke and Lucas? Dating? She let out a dry laugh shaking her head. No way! Brooke would never do that to Nathan…and Brooke isn't exactly Lucas's type either.

If it was true then one word came to mind…Drama! And she loved drama! She smirked as a small laugh escaped her lips "Oh Brooke Davis…you are something else" she said to herself.

* * *

"Nathan…can we talk?" Peyton asked she approached Nathan cautiously at his locker.

"Nope" Nathan said coldly before slamming his locker and storming away quickly.

"Nathan please" Peyton pleaded as she followed him through the hall "We really need to talk!"

"No! We don't Peyton!" Nathan hissed as he continued to try and quicken his pace to get rid of her but she wouldn't leave him alone.

"Nathan come on…look…I'm sorry for what happened the other week at your house…but can't we put that past us?" Peyton asked desperately as she struggled to keep up with the stubborn brunette.

"Look Peyton…I have to go and talk to Whitey, now really isn't the right time" Nathan told her as calmly as he could. Which honestly, wasn't really that calm.

Peyton followed Nathan into the empty gym and took a breath "Please Nate" she begged desperately. "We need to talk about this!"

"Talk about what?" Nathan asked frustrated and angry. He was starting to get really tired of her whining. "Peyton there is nothing to talk about! We are done alright? _Over_!"

"We're not over Nathan…we are _never_ over!" Peyton cried.

"Yes Peyton. We _are_" Nathan hissed harshly.

"We're not Nate" Peyton said with a small shrug "You wanna know why?"

"Oh go on then…please enlighten me" Nathan muttered sarcastically as he looked annoyed down at his watch.

"Because…I'm pregnant with your baby"

Nathan's head snapped up in shock. "What?"

"I'm pregnant Nathan"

"Nah" Nathan said shaking his head "You're lying!"

"Why the hell would I lie Nathan?" Peyton asked in disbelief.

"Because you're a twisted crazy bitch! It's what you do!" Nathan hissed coldly.

"Gee thanks!" Peyton muttered sarcastically "But really Nathan…I'm pregnant! And if you don't believe me then I will show you the damn test!"

Nathan clenched his jaw as he struggled with what to say next. He looked around the empty gym anxiously. A place where he had always felt safe. But standing here right now, he didn't feel safe at all. He turned back to Peyton and looked at her intently "Well…well it's not mine"

Peyton threw her hands up in the air angrily "Of course it's yours! Who else's would it be?" she asked angrily.

"Well…I don't know. Who knows where you have been" Nathan spat disgustedly "I feel sorry for the kid…having you as their mother!"

Nathan knew he had hurt her. He could see it in her eyes. He didn't say sorry though. He couldn't…because he didn't know how to.

"Sometimes I really hate you Nathan" Peyton got out "The baby _is_ yours! And I'm sure your father would be proud of the man that you have become" she spat "_Daddy!_" she hissed before storming out of the gym.

Nathan ran a shaky hand through his hair. Peyton couldn't really be pregnant could she?

* * *

"Luke! What the hell do you live on?" Brooke shouted into the bedroom as she rummaged through Lucas's cupboards for food but all she could find were beers, chips, coffee, cookies and more beers.

"You!" Lucas shouted back.

Brooke rolled her eyes. He could be so cheesy sometimes. "Seriously though…there is like nothing here!"

Lucas appeared groggily out of his bedroom in just his shorts as he wrapped his arm around Brooke's waist from behind. "We ate all the bread yesterday" he mumbled into her shoulder as he leant his head against it tiredly.

"Great…so…are we just supposed to starve?" Brooke asked slightly annoyed. She was starving.

"No…we have some chips" Lucas shrugged "And beer"

"Lucas I am not some 50 year old truck driver! I can't live on beer and chips!" Brooke told him "Can't you just go and run to the store or something?" she asked sweetly.

Lucas groaned "Not really"

"Why not?" Brooke pouted "I'm hungry"

"And I'm tired…you have really wore me out Brooke Davis" Lucas smirked as he began to kiss her neck seductively.

"Nah uh!" Brooke said sternly as she pulled out of his grasp "That is not going to work this time…I'm hungry and you owe me food Broody"

"I'm hungry too…for you" Lucas smirked as he pulled her back against him and kissed her shoulder softly "I need you"

Brooke moaned as Lucas's warm mouth made its way up her neck and along her jaw line before crashing against her lips.

"Food" Brooke mumbled against his mouth.

"Later" Lucas replied before deepening the kiss and leading her back towards his bedroom.

"Ah…so this is where the two runaways have their fun"

Lucas and Brooke immediately pulled away and their heads snapped towards the front door to where Rachel stood leant against the wall. A perfectly plucked raised eyebrow and a huge smirk playing on her lips.

"One word guys…Busted" Rachel laughed.

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing the last chapter...I have though noticed a slight decrease in reviews, I don't really know what that means, have some people stopped reading or...? I don't know. But please Review! They basically inspire me to write more so its sort of like...the more reviews, the faster the updates? **

**But thanks for everyone who has reviewed for the last chapter and the whole story really. I am so glad you all like it and thanks again for the support.**

**Sara x**


	6. Consequences

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill! **

* * *

Rachel smirked as she walked further into the apartment and closed the door behind her. Brooke and Lucas stood frozen. Brooke just wearing his t-shirt and Lucas just in his boxer shorts. There was no getting out of this now. Rachel was right, they were busted.

"You know...I'm right about almost 100 percent of the time, and I had a little feeling that you two were seeing each other but wow, I didn't actually think it would be true" Rachel smirked.

"How did you get in here?" Lucas asked coldly. He didn't know what to do. He didn't really know what to say.

"The door was open" Rachel shrugged.

"So what...you thought you would just walk straight into someone else's apartment?"

"I don't think that _that_ is important do you?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow before turning to Brooke "So...you really like a challenge huh Davis?"

Brooke frowned at her "It's not like that Rachel"

"Like what? That you're sleeping with your best friend's enemy?" Rachel asked with a smirk as she motioned to the clothes, or lack of they were wearing "Because it certainly looks like that to me"

Brooke pulled Lucas's shirt down nervously "You can't tell Nathan"

"And why is that?"

"Rachel" Lucas hissed sternly "We don't have time for your childish games alright? Can you just pretend you never saw this?"

"Why should I? I can't wait to see Nathan's reaction when he finds out about this" Rachel smirked.

"Rachel you can't!" Brooke pleaded desperately "This isn't a game alright. This is _serious_. You don't know Nathan like I do okay...if he finds out about this...especially from you...Rach...he will go ballistic!"

"Not my problem"

"Rachel quit being such a bitch!" Lucas said angrily.

"You're really not acting like someone who wants to stay on my good side Lucas" Rachel grinned.

Lucas ran a hand over his head struggling to keep his mouth shut.

"Please Rachel...this is our lives your playing with!" Brooke pleaded.

"I'm not the one who is playing a dangerous game Brooke" Rachel said seriously "Why him? Huh? Brooke you could have any guy that you want! Why would you want Lucas Scott?" she asked "I mean…no offence or anything but it's not like he is your type. Lost junkie meets rich cheerleader. It sounds like something you would see on a TV show."

"He's not a junkie" Brooke cut in defending Lucas. "You wouldn't understand Rachel. I love him"

Lucas smiled softly as he slid his hand into hers linking their fingers together. "And I love Brooke"

"Aww" Rachel spat sarcastically "Isn't this sweet"

Brooke glared at her "What the hell is your problem? This has nothing to do with you!"

"What you're doing is wrong! You know it! I know and I'm sure he does too!" Rachel told them.

"Yeah well it certainly doesn't feel wrong" Lucas cut in "So come on Rachel…just tell us what you're going to do"

Rachel shrugged carelessly "I don't know yet"

"You can't tell Nathan…or anyone" Brooke pleaded.

"I can do what I want Brooke" Rachel said "Just like you seem to be doing"

Brooke sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair nervously. Lucas tightened his grip on her hand and gave it a quick squeeze.

"But I'm not going to stick around here…obviously I was interrupting something" Rachel smirked as she backed towards the door.

"Rachel ple-" Brooke started but got cut off.

"I guess I will be seeing you both around" Rachel told them with a wink and left the apartment.

Brooke sent a worried glance towards Lucas and he slowly pulled her in for a hug.

"What are we going to do Luke?" Brooke mumbled into his chest "If Nathan finds out about this…" she trailed.

"Don't worry about it" Lucas said reassuringly "We will deal with everything as it comes alright?"

"Ok" he heard Brooke's muffled voice come from against him as he kissed the top of her head.

* * *

Nathan paced up and down in his bedroom the next morning. What was he going to do? He couldn't be a dad…he wasn't ready for it. His dad would kill him if he found out about this…what about basketball. What about his life! This baby would ruin his career as well as ending his freedom. He couldn't be father. And he didn't want to be.

He furiously flipped out his cell phone trying to call the one person who could help him understand the situation. Too bad she was nowhere to be seen for the past week. "Brooke! Call me! I'm not joking around anymore…I _need_ to talk to you" he said frantically as he slammed his cell phone shut.

"Nathan! Why the hell aren't you on your run?" Dan asked sternly as he walked straight into Nathan's room.

Nathan's head snapped towards his father "Have you ever heard of knocking Dan?" he asked coldly.

"Why aren't you in the middle of your second lap?" Dan asked completely ignoring Nathan's question.

"I have other things to worry about than my stupid morning run!" Nathan shouted angrily. He felt like he was going to explode with anger. This was all just too much.

Dan's face expression was stern as he eyed his son carefully "What sort of trouble are you in now son?" he asked in a bored tone.

Nathan raised a shaky hand as he ran it down his face tiredly. "I've messed up…big time"

Dan sighed loudly "Of course you have" he muttered "How much money do you owe?" he asked pulling out his check book.

"It's not money" Nathan said shaking his head "It's worse than that"

Dan's full attention was gained now as he eyed his son suspiciously "What have you done Nathan?"

Nathan rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath as he nervously looked up at his father "It's Peyton…she's pregnant"

* * *

"Brooke…come on…don't worry about it. Rachel won't tell anyone" Lucas said reassuringly as he wrapped his arm tightly around Brooke's waist and kissed her shoulder softly.

Brooke pulled the covers further up her and turned around to face Lucas "How do you know that? It's Rachel…she is unpredictable"

"Well you guys are sort of friends right?" Lucas asked

"I guess" Brooke mumbled "But that doesn't really matter…Rachel likes to cause drama. It's what she does"

"Well then maybe I should go and talk to her" Lucas suggested "Try to knock some sense into her"

Brooke looked at him hesitantly "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Lucas shrugged "Well it's better than lying here worrying about what she might do"

"I guess so"

Lucas kissed her softly and placed his palm on her cheek gently "I will take care of things alright? Just leave it with me" he told her before kissing her again.

* * *

Dan looked at his son with anger etched across his face. His nostrils flared and his fists clenched yet for the past five minutes he still hadn't even muttered a word. And it was making Nathan nervous.

"Dad…say something…please" Nathan pleaded nervously.

Dan shook his head as he stormed out of his room and walked quickly through the hall and down the stairs.

"Dad!" Nathan shouted as he ran after him "What should I do?" he asked fearfully "Please"

Dan picked up the house phone and slammed it hard against Nathan's chest "Get rid of it" he hissed.

Nathan took the phone fearfully "How?"

"I don't know" Dan said angrily "You got yourself in this mess so you can get yourself out of it!"

"But-" Nathan started but got cut off by Dan.

"If she wants money for it then fine" Dan said not letting him speak "Just get rid of it" he finished before walking into his study and slamming the door.

Nathan gulped as he looked down at the phone in his hand. He groaned frustratingly. This was all just a mess.

* * *

Lucas pulled up in the drive at Rachel's mansion. He had to admit, for an ice queen living there; it really was a nice house. Something that he wasn't used to of course, living in a beat up old apartment at the other side of town.

He got out of his car and ran up the steps before knocking loudly on the door. He knew she was in. her car was parked outside.

"Rachel!" he shouted loudly "Open the door!"

"What do you want Lucas?" Rachel asked annoyed as she swung the door open.

Lucas pushed straight past her as he made his way into her house.

"Hey! Who said you could walk straight in here?" Rachel asked angrily.

Lucas swiftly turned around as he glared at her "Yeah well at least I knocked first!" he hissed coldly. "Unlike some"

"I'm surprised you could leave Brooke long enough to come visit me…after all…it looked like you two were in the middle of something active before I interrupted" Rachel smirked.

"Shut up Rachel!" Lucas shouted angrily which caused Rachel to jump in fright "I don't want to play your childish little games! Alright? So just tell me what you're going to do so I can get out of here and get on with my life!"

Rachel regained her composure as she sent Lucas an icy stare "Like I told you back at your little hole…I don't know what I'm going to do. It's kind of fun watching you and Brooke squirm like this" she smirked.

Lucas struggled to keep his anger in check and part of him wished Brooke was here to calm him down. "Rachel" he got out as he breathed in "Please…can you just…keep it to yourself"

"Why should I? Brooke is a hypocrite and a liar! She goes around school acting like she is perfect! She has you and Nathan wrapped around her little finger! What an accomplishment huh? She controls two Scott brothers who hate each other" Rachel hissed "I'm sure her mother would be proud!"

"Don't!" Lucas said sternly "Don't talk about her like that"

"What? It's the truth!"

"No its not!" Lucas said angrily as his jaw tightened "You don't know anything about her! Nobody does!"

"Except you right?" Rachel asked with a dry laugh "Please…she is using you!"

"No…she's not…she loves me" Lucas told her confidently but also getting more and more angry with each word the redhead spoke.

"No…you _think_ she loves you! Lucas you don't know what love is. You have never really experienced it have you?" Rachel spat in pity "I like you Lucas…I do. And that is exactly why I don't want you to get involved in Brooke and Nathan's little games"

"The only one playing a game here is you Rachel!"

"No…I'm trying to look out for you" Rachel argued "You don't know what they're like Lucas…Nathan is just like his father. He craves power and control. Part of me is curious that he actually knows about you and Brooke…that it was all his idea to play with your mind. To hurt you. And Brooke would just play along with it…because that's what she does. And I like Brooke, really I do, but Nathan has so much control over that girl that she would probably do anything for him."

Lucas shook his head angrily "No Rachel! Just shut up alright!" he screamed in anger "You don't know Brooke okay? You don't know me! And you don't know anything about our relationship so just butt out and leave us alone!"

"No Lucas…you and Brooke need to take a step back and have a look at what you are both doing. It's crazy! You are both two different types of people! It will never work!"

"We love each other Rachel…you wouldn't understand. She gets me" Lucas told her with a small smile as he thought about the brunette. "She doesn't care about what I do or who I associate with. She doesn't give a damn about any of that stuff. She loves me for me."

Rachel sighed "Fine…maybe she does love you. But it's still wrong Lucas. You're getting sucked into this circle of drama and I know that you've never liked stuff like that."

"I don't care Rachel" Lucas said honestly "I would do anything for her, _anything_. And if she doesn't want you to tell Nathan about us then I'm going to make sure that happens" he said changing his tone towards the end.

Rachel frowned "Are you threatening me?"

"If that's what it takes for you to keep your mouth shut then yeah…I am" Lucas said with a shrug.

Rachel looked at him shocked "I don't believe this"

Lucas glared at her "You tell Nathan about us then I will make sure that you will regret it" he said seriously. "I'm not joking around or playing games here Rachel…I'm serious"

"I've always known you have had some sort of screw loose in that head of yours but you're crazy"

Lucas didn't reply but looked at her hardheartedly.

Rachel could see it in his eyes that he was serious. And that scared her a little. "God you would really do anything for her?"

"Rachel…I would do absolutely _anything _for her…no joke" Lucas told her sternly. "Now I'm going to go. And you're going to keep your mouth shut right?" he asked.

Rachel held his gaze for a few seconds before nodding "I just hope you know what you're doing"

Lucas didn't say anything as he left the house leaving a stunned Rachel. Normally she enjoyed drama…but this…this was crazy.

* * *

Nathan sat alone nervously at the River Court. He held his head in his hands wondering how his life took such a turn. He was Nathan Scott, ruler of Tree Hill High School, he wasn't supposed to be in a situation like this, yet here he was…waiting to find out if he will be a father.

He looked up when he saw a head full of blonde curls approach him hesitantly.

"I'm glad you came" Nathan said as he nervously stood up and dug his hands deep into his pockets.

"Yeah well I was hardly going to ignore you was I?" Peyton asked as she looked around the empty court "After all…I am carrying your kid"

Nathan let out a small nervous cough as he rubbed his eyes tiredly "You're not keeping it right?"

"_It_?" Peyton asked with a raised eyebrow "Nathan it's a baby…your baby"

"Nah" Nathan muttered shaking his head "There won't be a baby Peyton…my Dad will go ballistic if you keep this"

"Nathan! When are you going to able to make decisions of your own huh? Instead of listening to Dan Scott?" Peyton asked annoyed.

"This is my decision to Peyton…I don't want you to have this baby"

"So what? You want me to have an abortion?" Peyton asked in disbelief.

"Please Peyton…my Dad's campaign is coming up, imagine what it will look like if his only son has knocked up a teenage girl!" Nathan told her frustratingly.

"Only son?" Peyton asked with a dry laugh "Wow, Mayor Scott's family first campaign is a little hypocritical don't you think? One is a junkie…the other a man whore"

"Screw you Peyton!" Nathan hissed angrily "I don't have to listen to this!"

"No your right…you don't! So why the hell did you call me to meet you here? Huh? To force me to have an abortion? Is that it?" Peyton asked coldly "Was that your plan? Use Daddy's campaign to get rid of your mistake? Daddy this, Daddy that! Grow up Nathan and start living your own life!"

Nathan groaned in anger "God Peyton? Will you stop being such a bitch! Just get rid of the baby and we can forget we even existed!"

"That's great Nathan!" Peyton hissed "Do what you always do…get rid of the problem and pretend that everything is okay and that nothing ever happened"

"Yeah well its better than doing what you do isn't it? Start drawing a load of crappy paintings and listen to your depressing music!" Nathan spat coldly "Yeah Peyt…that's a great idea!"

"You know what! Maybe I will have an abortion! I would hate for this kid to turn out like you!" Peyton shouted in anger.

"Oh that's fine with me!"

Peyton gritted her teeth in anger. "I really hate you Nathan Scott"

"Yeah well the feeling is neutral baby" Nathan said with a smug smirk placed on his face. A look that Peyton couldn't stand.

"Yo Nate! What's up?" Tim shouted as him and a couple of guys from the team walked towards the court.

Nathan leaned in close to Peyton and spoke into her ear "Get rid of the baby Peyton. If you want money then fine…but get rid of the baby" he told her sternly before walking towards the guys before Peyton could even get another word in.

* * *

Lucas walked into his apartment and smiled when he saw Brooke sitting watching TV in only his shirt. He had to admit, she looked so sexy with his top on.

"Hey beautiful" Lucas smirked as he leant down and kissed Brooke lightly on the nose before sitting next to her.

"Hey" Brooke smiled as Lucas placed his hand on her thigh and Brooke placed hers on top "Did you speak to Rachel?"

"Yeah I did" Lucas nodded "I didn't realize how stubborn that girl can be" he commented.

"Yeah she can be" Brooke said before going back to the actual subject "So what happened? Have you changed her mind about telling Nathan?" she asked hopefully.

Lucas nodded with a satisfied grin "Yep…it's all sorted baby. You don't have to worry; Rachel is going to keep her mouth shut"

Brooke let out a happy sigh of relief "Wow…that is such a relief. I was so scared that she was going to tell someone"

"Yeah well she won't"

"You're a genius babe" Brooke smirked as she stood up before straddling him as she sat on his lap. She leaned forward and kissed him softly and pulled away leaving Lucas pouting for me. "How would you like me to thank you" she whispered seductively.

"Hmm" Lucas grinned as he placed his finger on his lips as if he was in thought "Just keep on doing what you're doing"

"What? You mean this?" Brooke asked innocently as she began to leave hot kisses down his neck

Lucas nodded as he held in a moan as Brooke began to suck on his skin.

"Maybe we should take this to the bedroom" he got out huskily as he let his hands trail up and down Brooke's bare thighs.

"Maybe we should" Brooke whispered against his neck and Lucas closed his eyes tightly.

Lucas let Brooke kiss him for a little while longer before tightening his grip around her waist and picked her up so her legs wrapped around him.

"Lucas!" Brooke gasped in surprise at the movement.

"Bedroom…now" Lucas mumbled hungrily as he carried her towards his room.

* * *

Dan stood patiently by the front door as he waited for Nathan to come in. He heard the door open and a tired looking Nathan stumbled through the door.

"Well?" Dan asked impatiently "Have you dealt with it?"

Nathan looked down at the floor nervously "I tried"

Dan took in a deep angry breath "You _tried_? Trying doesn't get you anywhere in life Nathan! You have to succeed!" he hissed to his son angrily.

"Well what do you want me to do? Force her to have an abortion?" Nathan asked frustratingly.

"Yes!" Dan spat "Give her money or drag her there yourself! I don't care! Just get rid of it and make it soon please?"

"But it's not as simple as that!" Nathan argued "She won't listen to me!"

"Well make her!" Dan told him sternly "If you won't then I will Nathan" he warned him "I'm serious! I will not have a teenage father as my son!" he shouted angrily before turned around and storming into his office.

* * *

"But I don't want to go" Brooke moaned two days later as she was ready to leave Lucas's apartment that night.

"And I don't want you to go" Lucas sighed "But you have been here all week and people are going to start to notice that we have both just disappeared"

"I know" Brooke mumbled as she wrapped her arm around Lucas's neck "But I had fun…even with the whole Rachel drama. It's been a good week" Brooke smirked as she kissed him softly.

"It has been an amazing week" Lucas grinned "Do you want me to give you a ride home?" he asked as he let his fingers run lazily up and down Brooke's arms.

Brooke shook her head "Nah…its fine…I will walk, since I have barely been outside in like six days" she laughed realizing that that was actually a long time.

Lucas smiled as he led her to the door "I guess I will see you at school tomorrow?"

Brooke nodded "You can see…but don't touch" she warned jokingly.

"Scouts honor" Lucas grinned as he leaned in and kissed her again softly "Call me tonight"

"I will" Brooke promised as she kissed him again "I don't want to go" she moaned.

Lucas let out a small laugh "I know"

Brooke let out a deep sigh before kissing him once again "Bye" she smiled softly as she took a step back.

"Talk to you soon Pretty Girl" Lucas grinned as he watched Brooke walk down the steps. He finally closed the door once she was out of his eyesight.

* * *

Nathan and Peyton sat nervously and silently in the Planned Parenthood clinic. Nathan side glanced at Peyton and decided to break the silence "I don't see why you had to get an apointment this late on a Sunday night" he mumbled quietly.

"Well sorry for the inconvenience" Peyton whispered in a hiss "But since this was _your_ idea I don't see why you should be complaining"

Nathan rolled his eyes "Please…don't blame this all on me, we both know that you want this abortion just as much as I do!" he spat.

"Yeah…maybe…but in my own time! Not when Daddy says so" Peyton said coldly.

Nathan was about to reply but a nurse walked into the waiting room "Peyton Sawyer?" she called out.

Peyton and Nathan stood up nervously but Peyton immediately turned to him "You're not coming in" she told him sternly.

"Why not?" Nathan asked annoyed.

"What? You scared encase I don't go through with it?" Peyton asked with a dry laugh "Get over yourself…the last thing I want is to have you as the father to my kids!"

"Fine" Nathan huffed as he sat back down "Have fun" he smirked.

Peyton turned around just as she was about to go into the room "Ass" she hissed coldly before shutting the door behind her.

"I love you too!" Nathan called after her with a laugh.

Nathan shook his head as he looked to see a pregnant lady staring coldly at him. He tried to hide the amusement on his face as the lady's glare only grew colder. He slumped down into his seat and took his phone out decided that that might draw his attention away from her evil stares.

* * *

Brooke fell back onto her bed tiredly. Although she and Lucas hadn't exactly left his bedroom all week, they were doing very tiring activities. She smiled as she thought back to it.

She flipped open her cell phone and turned it on for the first time. She cringed when she saw she had fourteen messages from Nathan. Nine from Peyton. Two from Bevin and just one from her parents. She knew that especially from Nathan…she was in trouble.

She carefully dialed her answering machine button as she waited for the messages to play.

_**Message one – 'Brooke? What the hell is up with that note? What friend? How long will you be gone for? You can't just disappear and not tell me!'**_

Brooke cringed as Nathan's voice grew angrier as the message went on.

_**Message two – 'Brooke, it's me again! Where the hell are you? Call me please. I can't believe you have just taken off like that!'**_

Brooke carried on too listen to more ranting messages from Nathan. She knew he would be pissed off at her.

_**Message twenty-four – 'Brooke…it's me Peyton. Look, I know that you need your space but something's happened and I'm scared Brooke. Really scared, and I don't know what to do. Please…call me'**_

Brooke frowned. What was wrong with Peyton? She couldn't help but feel worried as she quickly waited for the next message.

_**Message twenty-five – 'It's me Nathan…you do still remember me right?**_**' **Brooke cringed at the cold and angry tone in his voice before listening to the rest of the message. _**'Look…something has…developed…I don't know what to do. I could really use my best friend right now. Please…call me back'**_

Now Brooke was really starting to get worried. What could have possibly happened in a week? And if it was _really _bad then wouldn't Rachel have told her?

Brooke bit her lip nervously as she dialed Nathan's number. She waited three rings before he answered.

"**Brooke?" Nathan asked slightly shocked, angry and confused.**

Brooke took a deep breath before replying "H-Hey…" she let out nervously and quietly.

"**Brooke…where the hell have you been?" Nathan asked angrily as he walked outside of the clinic.**

"I told you…I went to stay with a friend" Brooke said quietly.

**Nathan scoffed "A friend…yeah…right! Brooke you just took off without a word!" he hissed angrily.**

"I left you a note" Brooke defended weakly.

"**A note right…I just don't understand why you could just up and leave like that!"**

"I'm sorry…I just…I have had so many things going on in my life and I just wanted to get away" Brooke told him.

"**Yeah, we all do! Brooke I have been going through shit this past week and I really needed you there!" **

"I'm sorry" Brooke said quietly "But what's wrong Nate?" she asked worriedly "I got these weird messages from you and Peyton"

"**Well I would tell you but it's not exactly something I can say over the phone is it?" Nathan hissed.**

"Well come over. My parents have gone abroad somewhere so we will have the place to ourselves" Brooke suggested "Please Nate…I'm sorry for just taking off but I want to help you" she pleaded.

**Nathan sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He did really need to talk to her, but he knew that Peyton needed her more; he wasn't that much of a jerk. "I think Peyton wouldn't mind that offer"**

"Ok" Brooke said with a nod still not understanding what was going on but glad that Nathan was letting her back in "Thanks Nate"

"**I'm not doing this for you…it's for her"**

"Well…I will see you at school tomorrow then?" Brooke asked hopefully.

"**Yeah" Nathan nodded "Bye" he mumbled before hanging up.**

Brooke sighed as she shut her cell phone. She knew that there would be consequences for staying away from her life for a week but she didn't think that something big would have happened. Which obviously had.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for the amazing reviews from the last chapter! 28! I loved reading them all! They inspire me to write more :)

**So, I hope you liked this chapter and I hope you will all carry on reviewing! Thanks again! **

**Sara x**


	7. Suspicious Eyes

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

Brooke stood waiting by Nathan's locker. Peyton had told her about the pregnancy and the termination and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty about not being there for her two best friends. Although as she thought back to her week with Lucas she realized that she had her own life that went further than the drama of the on-off relationship of Nathan Scott and Peyton Sawyer.

"Nate" Brooke smiled as she saw Nathan walk towards her.

"Glad to see you have finally made your return" Nathan said plainly as he opened his locker and placed his books inside.

"Peyton told me what happened" Brooke said deciding to ignore his previous comment. "I'm wish I could have done something to help"

"Yeah well you didn't so..." Nathan trailed as he continued to rummage through his locker.

"Nathan can you just forget about me? Please...Peyton needs you right now. I know that the two of you aren't together anymore but you're the only person that understands what she is going through right now" Brooke told him "Don't shut her out Nate"

"Don't tell me what to do Brooke" Nathan grunted as he slammed his locker shut.

"I'm not I was just-" Brooke started before getting cut off.

"Well don't" Nathan cut in "So please can we not talk about this. Especially _here_ of all places"

"Fine" Brooke sighed as she the two began to walk through the halls.

"So...how was your week?" Nathan asked curiously and Brooke was glad that he was coming back to the Nathan she called her best friend.

"It was...nice" Brooke smiled as she linked her arm through his "I had fun"

"Good" Nathan nodded "Now that I think about it, you probably needed the break"

"Thanks Nate" Brooke smiled as she looked up at him.

"Yeah...whatever" he mumbled in response.

Brooke laughed slightly as she shook her head as they walked outside. He is never going to change.

* * *

"Hey man. What's up?" Lucas asked casually as he sat outside next to Jake who was sitting on a bench smoking a cigarette.

Jake frowned as he turned his head to look at his friend "What's up?" he spat sarcastically "I don't hear from you in a week and all you have to say is _what's up_?" Jake asked in disbelief as he shook his head "You are unbelievable"

"Oh come on man. I've been busy" Lucas argued "Since when did my life revolve around you anyway?"

"It doesn't! But we have had some important shit to sell but I had to do it alone since you decided to make a disappearing act!" Jake sneered "So I'm keeping the money for myself"

"What?" Lucas asked shocked "You can't do that!" he shouted angrily "I have dealt loads of times without you and split the money!"

"Yeah well I did the dirty work so I don't see how it's fair for me to lose half of my money for your lazy ass!" Jake spat.

"Since when did you get so selfish?" Lucas asked angrily as he stood up "I'm through with you Jake! You're a mess!" he growled coldly. And it was true. Ever since Jake started to take the drugs as well as selling them the guy became more and more desperate for money as well as his daily doses.

"You have to look after number one man" Jake shrugged as he stood up "It's not my problem about your business. Next deal though…you help me out and the money is yours"

"Fuck you Jake. I'm done with your shit" Lucas said angrily as he felt his fists tighten by his sides. And this is the part where he just couldn't help himself. He raised his fist up and slammed it into Jake's jaw. Jake fell to the floor and Lucas stepped over him and looked at him with a disgusted look on his face "Have a nice life asshole" he smirked before stepping away from him and walking away. A lot of people were watching in shock. Jake and Lucas were supposed to be friends so they were surprised to see Lucas just punch him like that.

As Lucas walked away through the crowds of people he caught Brooke's eye. She gave him a confused look but he just shrugged. He didn't want her involved in Jake's mess.

* * *

Lucas sat in the gym during their P.E lesson, because both classes were small the boys shared the gym with the girls and he couldn't help but watch Brooke as she stretched at the other side of the gym. He knew she knew that he was watching her, that's why she always seemed to stretch her butt out into his direction when she bent down. Or when she stretched her legs out she seemed to do it in a slow motion which would always make him lick his lips. This would happen pretty much every lesson and they could get away with it since both classes didn't have Nathan or Peyton or any of the popular _in_ crowd in it so nobody noticed the secret glances or the seductive smirks.

Brooke slowly walked towards where he was sitting and took a bottle of water from her bag where Lucas 'coincidently' sat next to. "Were you trying to torture me over there?" he asked as he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead of him.

Brooke took a large gulp from her water before answering "I was stretching" she stated innocently but Lucas knew she knew what he was talking about. She always did.

"How about we just sneak out of here and do our own stretching" Lucas smirked as he struggled not to look at her.

"Sorry honey but that would just look to suss" Brooke replied although she was tempted.

"Oh come on" Lucas continued "Nobody would even notice. I'm on the bench anyway" he shrugged as he pointed towards the rest of his class who were throwing basketballs to each other.

"What's up with that anyway? I thought you liked basketball…I mean I have seen you play and you are _good_" Brooke commented as she rummaged through her bag as a cover.

Lucas shrugged "I faked being ill. I'm not really in the mood to play"

"Why? Because of Jake?" she asked as she looked towards her boyfriend's former friend who looked rather grumpy with his swollen jaw "I saw what happened this morning. Why did you hit him?" she asked curiously.

"I will tell you if we get out of here" Lucas smirked

Brooke groaned annoyed before giving in "Fine" she said with a dramatic sigh "I will see you at your car in five minutes"

"Five minutes" Lucas smirked before standing up and sneaking out of the gym.

Brooke waited a minute or two before grabbing her bag and following him, not seeing the suspicious look on Jake's face as he saw both exits.

* * *

"Peyton…can we talk?" Nathan asked as he hesitantly approached Peyton who was sitting in the library.

"I'm busy Nathan" Peyton said plainly without even looking at him.

"Look" Nathan sighed as he sat next to her "I know that you are mad at me and I understand why but you did the right thing"

"The right thing? Nathan…it was a living thing! You made me kill it" Peyton spat.

Nathan ran a hand through his hair as he looked around the almost empty library. "That's not fair Peyton…you know that you probably would have gotten rid of it anyway. You weren't ready to be a mom just as much as I wasn't ready to be a dad"

"But you could have let me do it in my own time Nate! You're so damn selfish that everything always has to be on _your_ terms!" Peyton hissed coldly.

"Peyton I had to. If I didn't then it would have been Dan" Nathan told her.

"Dan?" Peyton asked in disbelief "You told _him_?"

"He is my father Peyton! He had a right to know!" Nathan defended.

Peyton scoffed "No Nathan…the only reason you told him was because you were scared to make your own decision! You're always so damn scared! Can't you do just _one_ thing without asking Daddy first?"

Nathan looked down at the floor guiltily.

"Can I ask you something Nathan?"

"Sure" Nathan mumbled tiredly.

"Even if you wanted that baby…would you have still told me to get rid of it?" Peyton asked hoping for an honest answer.

Nathan leaned forward and put his head in his hands for a moment before sitting back up "I don't know" he admitted.

"No…the truth is you still would have! Because you would have ran to Daddy like always and he would have told you too! That's the truth Nathan! That baby was _yours_ not Dan's!"

Nathan didn't say anything. Know that she was right.

"You're pathetic Nathan! Stop being such a coward and stand up to him!" Peyton told him seriously.

"It's not as easy as that Peyton" Nathan defended "You don't know what he is like"

"I do Nathan…because he is exactly what you're turning into! The apple really doesn't fall that far from the tree huh?"

"Shut up" Nathan spat hating it when people compared him to his father.

Peyton chuckled "I'm through with you Nathan Scott" she said standing up "Have a nice life" she finished before walking away from him.

Nathan watched her leave angrily. Since when did she choose to end things? He was Nathan Scott, nobody talked to him like that.

* * *

Lucas and Brooke sat in the bar where they first met as Lucas told Brooke about his bust up with Jake.

"I just don't get it" Brooke admitted "I thought you two were like best friends"

Lucas let out a small chuckle "A lot of people think that. I guess in a way we kind of were, but honestly…it was mostly business with us. We used to understand each other but I guess things changed…I guess I changed"

"How?" Brooke asked "What could have possibly changed so much between the two of you that would lead to him ripping you off and you punching him?"

Lucas smiled as he gently rubbed his thumb on Brooke's cheek softly "You happened"

Brooke looked at him confused "But Jake doesn't even know about us?"

"No…but you changed me Brooke, for the better…and I know that I still do shit that I'm not supposed to but that's nothing compared to what I used to get up to before I met you" Lucas admitted "Jake…all he does is take drugs, drink alcohol and sleep with girls. I'm not like that anymore" he said as Brooke listened on curiously "And I know that I still sell drugs and even smoke some pot every now and then but I'm not addicted like he is…he is a mess Brooke, and I guess I have just stopped caring"

Brooke nodded in understanding. She didn't fully understand but she understood him and that was enough for her .she leant forward and kissed him softly "I love you for _you, _you know that right?"

Lucas nodded "Yeah I know"

"Good…because I don't want you to think that you have to change for me. I didn't fall in love with Saint Lucas, I know what you're like and I know about your past and even some of the shit you pull now. But I love you for that…I don't care about that stuff" Brooke told him softly.

Lucas smiled "Your amazing" he said with a small laugh on the end "I honestly don't know what I would do if I would ever lose you"

"Well you're lucky" Brooke smiled in a slight whisper "Because you will never have to find out. I'm not going anywhere Luke"

"That's good to know" Lucas smirked as he kissed her quickly "Because neither am I"

* * *

"I see that Lucas really did hit you hard" Rachel commented as she sat down next to Jake at the River Court that night. "That jaw of yours looks nasty"

"Not as nasty as he's gonna look when I get him back for this" Jake muttered angrily.

Rachel frowned "What? What are you planning on doing?"

"I don't know yet" Jake replied "But he can't just get away with publically humiliating me like that"

"Oh come on Jake…so he punched you. You don't need to act all weird and gangster like about it" Rachel smiled attempting at a joke but Jake didn't seem to find it funny.

"He was the one over-reacting. So I sold some shit without him, big deal…now he has just fucked everything up"

"Yeah well I can understand that he was angry. I mean, from what I hear…you ripped him off" Rachel said with a small shrug.

"Why are you defending him?" Jake muttered annoyed.

"Hey I'm not!" Rachel argued "I was just saying…"

"Well don't" Jake snapped as he pulled out a cigar wrap before rolling up some weed and placing it in between his lips as he pulled out his lighter and lit up. "I saw something weird today" he said as the smoke came from his mouth as he spoke. He passed the wrap to Rachel who gratefully exhaled from it.

"Oh yeah…and what was that?" Rachel asked curiously as she breathed out.

"Well" Jake started before taking another puff from his wrap "We were in gym class…and I look over…and there is Lucas sneaking out of the gym"

"Yeah…so?" Rachel asked not seeing what the big was. So Lucas skipped gym class? So what?

"No…no…that wasn't the strange part" Jake said waving his hand around in the air "Brooke Davis was the strange part"

Rachel looked at him shocked. Did he know? "Wh-what about Brooke?"

"Well…not even minutes after Lucas left the gym…Brooke did too" Jake said in a suspicious tone.

Rachel let out a dry laugh "So they both skipped class, that doesn't mean anything"

"I know. I know" Jake mumbled with a nod "But Luke has a secret girl. I'm not that stupid"

"And what? You think its Brooke?" Rachel asked in pretending to be shocked.

Jake shrugged "I don't even know…maybe she's doing it to play games with Nathan or something"

Rachel let out a nervous laugh "I don't think this is the best conversation to have while we are getting high"

"Nah" Jake muttered shaking his head "I'm going to get to the bottom of it, whether the girl is Brooke or some other bimbo or even if it's something completely different, Lucas is hiding something and I'm going to find out what it is and I am going to rumble his little secret"

"Oh boy" Rachel muttered under her breath as she took the blunt from Jake.

* * *

Lucas and Brooke were in a deep make out session in a booth at the back of the bar when Lucas felt someone tap his shoulder. He pulled away from Brooke in frustration and turned around and grunted in annoyance.

"What do you want Kevin?" Lucas asked in annoyance.

"Luke man…sorry to interrupt…but uh…I was wondering…if I could score some coke from you tonight?" Kevin asked as he fidgeted with his hands.

Lucas glanced back at Brooke who raised an eyebrow. He turned back to Kevin "Not now man…can't you see I'm busy?"

"Please man…I'm desperate" Kevin pleaded "I will even pay you extra man"

"Dude I told you…I'm busy"

"Please Lucas…I really need some…I'm desperate here" Kevin begged and Lucas could see that he really was. He looked tired, he had bags under his eyes, he kept on fidgeting and his hands were shaking. He looked a mess.

Lucas sighed as he looked back at Brooke who shrugged "Go ahead" she told him.

Lucas grunted as he stood up "I have some in my car…come on" he ordered before turning back to Brooke and leant down and kissed her hard on the lips "I won't be long" he said after he pulled away before following Kevin out of the bar.

* * *

Lucas and Kevin walked through the dark car park towards his car.

Kevin nervously played with his fingers as Lucas pulled his keys from his pocket "Make this quick okay man?" Lucas said as he pulled the stash from under his seat.

"Don't worry…this will be quick" Kevin muttered as he looked behind him.

Lucas came out of the car and turned around to see two other guys standing behind Kevin. He looked at them confused and frowned "Ok…what the hell is this?"

"I'm sorry man but I really need that coke" Kevin said nervously.

"Yeah and I told you I would sell you it" Lucas said still confused but still having a little feeling about what was about to happen.

"Yeah…about that…I kind of don't have the money"

Lucas let out a dry laugh "Ah…I see…so these guys are going to beat me up while you steal my stash?" he asked with a raised eyebrow pointing to the two silent guys standing opposite him.

"Yeah pretty much" Kevin replied with a small shrug.

"Right…you do know that by doing this I'm never going to sell to you again?" Lucas said with a warning tone in his voice "I don't think you realize who you are messing with Kevin"

Kevin nervously looked to the two other guys before turning back to Lucas "Just hand me the coke and we will walk away"

Lucas laughed harshly "You're pathetic. Like I would do that"

"Fine…let's play it your way then" Kevin hissed harshly "Boys"

Lucas smiled as the two guys slowly walked towards him. He prepared himself as they got closer and just as the first guy raised his hand to hit him, Lucas pulled his arm back and slammed him into the car so the guy fell down in pain. The other guy was to quick however as Lucas felt an impulse of pain fly into his face, he quickly recovered and hit the guy back but by then the other moron was up and was in his face too. Being out numbered quickly became a problem as the other guy held him back while the other thug kneed him in the stomach. Lucas groaned in pain before he felt him hold him back with the other guy. Kevin walked towards Lucas and punched him again square in the eye.

"I told you Scott…you should have just given me the shit" Kevin hissed angrily.

"Fuck you Kevin" Lucas spat angrily and Kevin punched him in the gut. "Ah" Lucas moaned in pain as he struggled to keep up his breathing.

Kevin picked up the small bag of coke from Lucas's pocket before hitting him again in the face and then walked away. The two bigger guys pushed him onto the floor before following Kevin back into the bar.

Lucas lay on the graveled floor in pain as he clutched his stomach. They weren't going to get away with that. Lucas knew bigger people then some college dropout morons. Kevin Potter was going to get what was coming to him.

* * *

"You're looking rather lonely sitting all the way back here all by yourself" the bartender commented as he collected glasses from the table next to where Brooke was sitting at.

Brooke shrugged "My boyfriend should be back in a minute"

"Boyfriend…right…that's what they all say" The guy said with a small shrug and a smirk.

Brooke raised an eyebrow "What? Are you calling me a liar?"

"The name is Owen" The bartender grinned as he outreached his hand for Brooke to shake.

Brooke looked down at the hand then back up at Owen before frowning "I didn't ask for your name…I was asking you if you were calling me a liar"

"Yeah well you were looking rather lonely…I thought I would come and keep you company" Owen said with a confident smug look on his face.

"And like I said…I am waiting for my boyfriend" Brooke said coldly. This guy was annoying her.

"Well it seems to me like you have been stood up"

"Hm…it would seem like that huh?" Brooke said in a fake polite voice "But he was just here 15 minutes ago. He was only went back to his car to get something"

"Sounds to me like an excuse to leave" Owen smirked as he wiped their table "So…what's your name?"

"Like I am going to tell you" Brooke spat "You're boring me now so will you just leave me alone?"

"I'm only working baby" Owen smirked as he continued to wipe down the table "This is my job" he said with a wink as he wiped the rest of the table down.

"My boyfriend really wouldn't appreciate you calling me _baby_" Brooke said coldly "So do not call me that again"

"Whatever you say baby" Owen smirked.

"Don't fucking talk to her"

Owen turned around to see an angry looking Lucas glaring at him.

Brooke gasped at the sight of her boyfriend. His lip and nose was bleeding and his eye looked like it would be black and blue in the morning. "Luke…what the hell happened?" she asked worriedly as she stood up and examined her boyfriend.

Lucas however ignored her as he kept his eyes fixated on Owen "What the hell do you think you were just doing?" he asked sternly.

Owen held his hands up in defense "Nothing man…we were just talking"

"Yeah well don't talk to her. Don't even look at her? Ok?" Lucas said threateningly. "I mean it"

Owen nodded slightly "Yeah man…sorry" he mumbled "But it looks like you need to be cleaned up man…let me go and get you something"

"I'm fine" Lucas snapped, his eyes dark and cold.

"Baby…you're not fine…what the hell happened?" Brooke asked as she rubbed his cheek softly.

Lucas finally tore his eyes away from Owen and looked down at Brooke. "I will tell you later" he mumbled "Was this ass harassing you?" he asked turning back to Owen.

"No…its fine" Brooke said reassuringly "But he's right…you should really get cleaned up"

"I told you I'm fine" Lucas said frustratingly as he walked towards Owen and stood right in his face "If you go near my girl again I swear to god I will not be responsible for my actions" Lucas said in a cold and threatening tone that even gave Brooke the shivers.

Owen nodded with a gulp. He could tell that this guy was not a man to be messed with. The guy obviously would do anything for his girlfriend and he knew that his safest choice would be to just walk away. "Sure man…you got it" Owen replied as he took a step back.

"Good" Lucas hissed sternly before turning back to Brooke "Let's get out of here" he ordered as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar.

* * *

Rachel and Jake walked out of the liquor store with a bottle of beer in their hands each. They were already stoned so the alcohol was already adding to their mental state. It was surprising that they even got served with the drink.

"Woops!" Rachel giggled as she almost tripped up. Jake laughed loudly as Rachel held herself up onto his arm.

"We nearly lost you" Jake chuckled as the two stumbled through the dark streets.

Rachel sighed loudly as she leant her head against Jake's shoulder "You know…you were right"

"Right about what?" Jake asked confused as he took a swig of his beer.

"About Lucas…he does have a mystery girl" Rachel admitted before taking a drink from her own bottle.

"I knew it!" Jake grunted loudly "Damn…do you know who she is?"

"Someone who definatly shouldn't be with him" Rachel commented as she raised her eyebrow "You know…if anyone found out about them…it would be _drama_" she giggled in a dramatic voice. "Major major drama" she slurred.

"Oh come on" Jake urged "Tell me who it is"

"I can't" Rachel said with a shrug "I promised"

"Oh come on Rach…like Lucas would ever do the same back for you" Jake pointed out. And it was the truth, Lucas probably wouldn't.

Rachel frowned at the realization "You know Jagelski…that is a pretty good point"

"I'm good with that stuff" Jake said before laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I don't even know!"

Rachel shook her head "You're crazy"

Jake scoffed "No more crazy than you!"

Rachel chuckled "Ok…good point"

"Ok…Ok…so back to our conversation…who is Lucas's mystery girl?" Jake asked.

"I don't know Jake…the girl is kind of a friend of mine" Rachel told him shaking her head "I don't think I can tell you"

"Oh come on Rach…you can trust me" Jake smiled as he urged her to tell him "Just tell me"

Rachel groaned "Fine" she muttered and Jake grinned with satisfaction.

"So? Who is it?" he asked impatiently.

Rachel sighed before letting out a sneaky smile "It's Brooke"

"Brooke?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Davis…the girl is Brooke Davis"

Jake's eyes widened "Brooke Davis? Are you kidding me?" he asked in shock.

Rachel shook her head "Nope" she smirked "I told you it would cause drama" she chuckled before taking a swig of her beer.

Jake pretty much instantly sobered up. Lucas and Brooke? Oh this was good…even for him.

**

* * *

**

A/N:

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the last chapter!**

**Othfan326, ChadAndSophie, PeterClaire, Brooke D., CheerandBrood323, BrOoKeDaViS23, flipflopgal, brucas2008, purple monkey 3, brookenlucas4eva03, Rianna (love your reviews btw), princetongirl, Princesakarlita411, ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl, BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE (thanks). Tash (I liked length of yours), BL, brucas333, Dee and iluvmedou. Thanks to you all! And please review the next chapter too! **

**The reviews the faster the updates!! Thanks!**


	8. Don't Want To Hear It

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill! **

**Hey: So I have updated a little earlier than I normally would but **ChadAndSophie **who is a regular reviewer asked me to update before the 6th since she is going away, and since I had already had this chapter written I thought I might aswell post today! So...please review!**

* * *

Lucas paced around his apartment frustratingly as Brooke watched on from where she was sitting on the bench in the kitchen.

"Baby…what's wrong?" Brooke asked concerned. She had only seen him like this a few times since they were dating and although she wasn't scared of him…she was nervous encase he did something stupid, not to her…but to whoever pissed him off.

The car ride home was pretty much silent. With Lucas gripping the steering wheel so hard that it turned his already red knuckles a pale white colour. From what Brooke had gotten out of Lucas in his none talkative mood was that Kevin Potter was an asshole, he stole his supplies and got two morons to beat him up. She had no idea what was going on in her boyfriends head right now and she wasn't sure if she would get anything else out of him tonight. Owen the bartender didn't exactly help matters either since he put Lucas in an even worse mood.

"Babe will you just be quiet I am trying to think" Lucas muttered annoyed as he continued to pace back and forth.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she jumped off of the bench "Yeah okay…whatever…but I'm going home, I'm starting to get bored at watching you walk around here like a mad man" she told him as she reached for her coat.

Lucas groaned "I thought you were staying over tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah well not if you're in this mood" Brooke told him as she walked towards him and kissed him on the cheek "Call me tomorrow okay?"

Lucas grunted but nodded anyway as he watched Brooke walk towards the door.

"Brooke" he called after her.

Brooke turned around expectantly "Yeah?"

"Don't I get a real kiss?" he asked with a small smirk.

Brooke laughed slightly and walked towards him with a smirk playing on her face. She placed her hand behind his neck and pulled him down towards her and kissed him hard on the lips before pulling away "That better?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lucas nodded as he quickly pecked her lips once more "Much better" he grinned.

"Good" Brooke smirked in satisfaction before walking out of his apartment knowing that Lucas would probably be better off on his own right now.

* * *

Brooke walked down towards her house and was surprised to see her best friend sitting on her doorstop. "Peyton…what are you doing here?" she asked surprised.

Peyton shrugged "I just didn't feel like being alone tonight" she said forcing a smile.

Brooke nodded understanding "Well I have a tub of ice cream and two spoons waiting in my bedroom with The Notebook if you're interested?"

Peyton smiled widely "Thanks Brooke"

"Don't thank me…that's what best friends are for right?" Brooke told with a wink before letting themselves into her house.

"So…what's up with you Brooke?" Peyton asked curiously as she stuck into the ice cream as Brooke looked through her DVDs.

"What do you mean?" Brooke asked briefly glancing back before carrying on her search.

"Well…I know that I haven't exactly been there for you with everything that's been going on with me and Nathan lately but I feel like I haven't checked up with you? You know"

"I'm fine Peyt…never better actually" Brooke said honestly as she turned around and sat on the bed next to her best friend "But I'm not the one who just lost a baby" she said sadly as she patted Peyton's knee.

Peyton let out a dry laugh "I didn't lose it Brooke…I got rid of it"

"Oh come on Peyton. That doesn't really matter does it?" Brooke said "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you…I just didn't realize that things with Nathan were getting _that_ bad"

"Don't apologize" Peyton said shaking her head "You have your own life. It's about time you stopped playing referee between me and Nathan" she said with a dry laugh.

"Ok" Brooke said standing up "Are we going to start this movie or not?" she asked deciding to change the subject.

"Defiantly start" Peyton smirked.

* * *

Lucas stood by his car the next morning at school as he finished off his cigarette. He saw Jake approach him with a smirk on his face and Lucas rolled his eyes. Knowing that Jake would probably taunt him about him getting beat up the night before.

"Wow Luke…is that the new look?" Jake asked smugly "I see you have taken quite a beating"

"You and me both" Lucas muttered not in the mood to talk to him.

"So…what happened?" Jake asked curiously.

"Since when was that any of your business?" Lucas asked coldly.

Jake held up his hands in defense "I was just asking you a question…no need to bite my head off"

"Yeah well your comments aren't wanted here alright?" Lucas spat angrily. He didn't want to deal with this, he had too much shit running through his head with what happened with Kevin. The last thing he wanted was to deal with Jake's snide remarks as well.

Jake's smirk grew wider as he saw Brooke and Peyton pull up in Peyton's convertible. "Brooke looks nice today" he commented innocently.

Lucas's head snapped up and looked at Jake panicked "What did you just say?"

Jake grinned as Lucas watched his eyes roam Brooke's body, causing Lucas's fists to tighten by his sides as he felt his temper heat up.

"I said…Brooke looks nice today. Hot actually" he smirked.

Lucas took a deep breath as he struggled to control his anger "Why do I need to know that?" he asked coldly.

"Hey…I was just saying" Jake said with a small shrug "I would totally fuck her"

Lucas grabbed Jake by his collar and slammed him up against the car door, causing a few heads to turn, including Brooke's. Lucas breathed deeply as he looked at Jake angrily, still keeping his grip firm.

Jake recovered from the shock movement as he let his shocked face turn into a smirk "Oh so it is true" he chuckled but kept his voice low "You and Brooke Davis huh? Is she as good as people say she is?"

Lucas raised his fist and was about to hit him but he knew that was exactly what Jake wanted. He still kept his fist raised in the air though as he struggled on whether or not to just hit him anyway.

"Go on Lucas…hit me…you know you want to" Jake taunted.

Brooke stood back with Peyton as they watched the encounter. She struggled to act uninterested but luckily enough for her Peyton seemed curious as to what was going on. "What do you think is up with those two?" she asked.

Brooke shrugged "Who knows" as she watched them suspiciously. Lucas looked angry, and she could only wonder what was happening right now.

Lucas reluctantly let go of him as he took a step back. His eyes remained hard and angry as he didn't let his gaze leave Jake's. "Don't you say that to me again" he warned keeping his voice low.

Jake stepped towards him, his face hardening "Or what? What you gonna do about it huh Lucas?" he asked as he pushed him back slightly "Come on…what you gonna do?" he said louder this time.

Lucas tensed his jaw as he took a step back "I'm not going to fight you Jake"

"Oh? Why not Lucas? I know you want to" Jake chuckled "Come on…hit me!"

"Fuck you Jake" Lucas muttered as he turned around. However Jake was not backing down. He placed his hand on Lucas's shoulder, turning him back around to face him.

"You know you can't hit me. But only because you know that I know about you and your mystery girl" he said loud enough for Brooke to hear.

Brooke immediately felt her walls crumble down around her as she glanced at Lucas with a panicked expression on her face. She looked back at Peyton who seemed rather interested in the boy's argument but all she wanted to do was grab Lucas and get out of there. Locking themselves away like they had last week. But she couldn't, her feet stood frozen to the ground as her stomach churned with every word Jake spoke. Hoping to god that he wouldn't reveal her name.

"What's going on here?"

Brooke nearly jumped out of her skin as Nathan snuck up behind her. "Nathan! Don't do that again" she spat not in the mood.

Nathan frowned, he never even meant to scare her…he only wanted to know why there was a crowd gathering in the car park. However he glanced towards the center where he saw his brother and his junkie friend looking confrontational at each other. He rolled his eyes "You guys seriously aren't standing around here to watch a drug intervention are you?" he asked annoyed.

However nor Brooke or Peyton replied. Peyton because she wasn't talking to Nathan and Brooke because she was scared encase her voice would crack as she spoke. So instead Brooke just looked at him and shrugged.

"God I don't know why girls love gossip so much" He muttered "I'm out of here" he said before turning around and walking away.

Jake turned and glanced at Nathan, he turned back to Lucas who had followed his gaze.

"Don't you dare" Lucas warned.

Jake smirked as he started to walk towards Nathan's direction. Brooke immediately began to panic but then she heard Lucas's voice.

"Jake! Don't you fucking dare!" Lucas shouted angrily

Jake turned around "Or what Lucas?" he chuckled when Lucas didn't answer "I thought so"

Lucas face burned up in fury as he just ran into the back of Jake and tackled him to the ground before lifting his fist and punching him continuously.

Brooke placed her hand on her mouth in shock. She couldn't believe that was happening.

Lucas continued to beat Jake to a pulp before some jock finally got the guts to pull Lucas off him. Jake was barely conscious as another guy helped pull Lucas back. "Get the fuck off of me!" Lucas screamed angrily as he pulled himself out of the guy's grip. He didn't go back to Jake; instead he glanced at Brooke before walking into his car and speeding away.

"Wow…well that was interesting" Peyton commented as the crowds began to disappear as the teachers came out wondering what was going on. Brooke glanced back at Jake who was now sitting up on the floor wiping the blood from his face, he caught Brooke's eye and winked. Her stomach sunk.

Brooke let out a small cough "Yeah…it was interesting" she lied but then she saw someone at the back of the crowds, watching with a look of guilt on her face. "I will be right back Peyton" she said distractedly as she made her way other to the redhead.

"Brooke!" Peyton shouted after her confused.

"You lying scheming little bitch!" Brooke shouted to Rachel angrily as she approached her.

"Brooke I-" Rachel started but Brooke cut her off.

"Don't!" she hissed "Don't say anything! I don't want to hear it! Are you happy now? Have you watched your little show of drama take place? Was that what you wanted?"

"I'm sorry" Rachel said truthfully. The truth was, she didn't mean to tell Jake…but she was stoned and drunk and Jake pretty much influenced her into spilling Lucas's secret.

"No!" Brooke shouted angrily causing a few heads to turn "Don't apologize to me! You have no right!" she was fuming, her breath hitched in her throat as she tried to find the right words to come next, she lowered her voice as she took a step closer to the redhead "Nathan _doesn't_ even _know_ yet and still all of this has happened!" she hissed "I hate you for this Rachel!"

"Brooke…"

Brooke shook her head "I don't want to hear it Rachel…I just hope your happy" she said dejectedly as she turned to walk around but froze when she saw Peyton there.

"What's wrong?" Peyton asked suspiciously as she glanced at a guilty looking Rachel. "Brooke?"

"Nothing" Brooke mumbled "It doesn't even matter anymore" she said as she turned around to face Rachel "I just hope that _this_ was all worth it" she finished before walked away through the car park and out of the school gates.

Peyton turned back to Rachel and looked at her confused "What was that all about?"

"Not now Peyton" Rachel muttered annoyed as she began to walk towards the main building.

"Rachel" Peyton said as she caught up with her as she began to walk alongside her "What was Brooke talking about?"

"It's none of your business so just back off!" Rachel spat coldly. She didn't need this.

"Yeah well I will make it my business when it has something to do with my best friend!" Peyton told her sternly. Not budging on the situation.

Rachel laughed bitterly as she stopped causing Peyton to stop too. "Your best friend? Do you even know anything about her?"

Peyton frowned "Of course I do…what are you talking about?"

Rachel shook her head "You have no idea do you? You have no idea what that girl has been up to!"

Peyton looked at Rachel coldly "Look Rachel…I don't know what you're talking about but don't you dare try and change the subject here. I want to know what you have done that has upset Brooke so much!"

"Yeah well you would know if Brooke would have been kind enough to let you know…but of course, you don't know…because she hasn't told you" Rachel hissed "Just go Peyton…I'm not in the mood for this" she said as she began to walk off however Peyton grabbed onto her arm.

Rachel looked down at her arm then back up at Peyton "Get your hands off me" she spat slowly.

Peyton held up her hands in defense "I just want to know what's going on"

"Yeah well then ask Brooke. She is your best friend after all" Rachel muttered before turning around and strutting away leaving Peyton wondering what the hell was going on.

* * *

"Lucas! Come on…stop being an ass and stop ignoring my messages and just call me!" Brooke shouted frustratingly down the phone as she sat down outside his apartment. She didn't know why Lucas was avoiding her, it wasn't exactly her fault that Jake knew about them and they had this crazy fight at school.

"I thought talking face to face would be a better tactic"

Brooke looked up to see Lucas hesitantly approach her "I have been trying to call you for the last half hour!"

"Sorry" Lucas muttered as he let themselves into his apartment "I just didn't feel like talking"

"So avoiding me was a better option?" Brooke asked annoyed "You know what…never mind" she cut in before Lucas could even reply "What the hell happened with Jake? Lucas you nearly made him unconscious!"

Lucas glared at her "Don't you think I already know that?" he asked coldly as he went and soaked his bleeding knuckles under the tap.

Brooke sighed as she walked towards him and placed a towel on top. Lucas gasped slightly with the pain but Brooke only pressed harder.

"Ouy!" Lucas hissed annoyed.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she let go of the towel "Is Jake going to tell Nathan?" she asked anxiously.

Lucas shrugged "I definatly wouldn't put it past him"

"Great!" Brooke muttered annoyed "I can't believe Rachel told him"

"So it was Rachel then?" Lucas asked shaking his head as Brooke nodded "What a bitch. Jake is a complete ass though…I swear to god…if he tells Nathan…" he trailed.

"You didn't have to beat him up Luke" Brooke sighed "There are other ways to solve things"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Lucas asked defensively "I hit Jake for you!"

"For me?" Brooke asked in disbelief

"He was about to go and tell Nathan! What else was I supposed to do?" Lucas shouted angrily "Just do it myself? Oh…hey Nathan! I know that I am your worst enemy but I have been sleeping with your best friend for the past four months!" he spat sarcastically "Yeah Brooke…because that would really go down well"

"Yeah well it doesn't matter now does it Lucas? Because Nathan is still going to find out!"

"So what? That's it? Once Nathan finds out he is going to tell you to break up with me and you're going to agree to it!" Lucas spat angrily "That's one of the only damn reasons I agreed to keeping our relationship a secret!"

Brooke's jaw dropped in shock "Is that what you honestly believe?" she asked in disbelief and also a little hurt "Lucas…I love you and I am _not_ going to break up with you. I'm actually quite hurt that you would think I would do that, do you honestly think that little of me?"

Lucas looked down at the floor ashamed; he didn't mean to upset her. "You know I don't…but I also know how much Nathan means to you"

"Lucas!" Brooke groaned frustratingly as she placed her hands on each side of his face, her finger trailing over the bruise right under his eye and her other hand tracing the cut on his cheek. "I love _you_ more than I love anybody else and I know that I shouldn't, but I _do_…I am never going to let you go… not over Nathan or anyone else" she said giving him a small smile "You got that?"

Lucas nodded before leaning down and kissing her softly. He had to admit, it felt good to hear that someone loved him more than his brother, especially since his own father loves Nathan more than him, he even wondered if his father ever loved him at all. He pulled away and leant her forehead against hers "I got that" he told her with a small smile as he brushed some of her hair out her face "And I love you too" he smirked before kissing her forehead and pulling her in for a hug.

"We will get through this right?" Brooke asked into his chest.

"Sure" Lucas said as he ran his fingers through her soft brown locks. But he wasn't so sure himself, not about them…but about everyone else.

* * *

"Jake!" Rachel shouted as she caught up with Jake in the halls at lunch "What the hell was that this morning with Lucas?"

"Oh, you mean how he nearly beat me to death? I've spent my whole fucking morning with the school nurse!" Jake muttered angrily as he pointed towards his face which was covered in cuts and bruises.

"Yes that and everything else!" Rachel hissed "I can't believe you told him you knew!"

"Yeah well Lucas is an asshole...it's about time he paid for all the shit he has done" Jake told her clearly not seeing Rachel's guilt.

"Ok fine…you and Lucas have some sort of war going on, so you want to get back at him, fine! But that has nothing to do with Brooke!"

Jake spun around and faced Rachel "If that girl was stupid enough to get involved with his ass then it does have something to do with her" he spat "That's not my problem"

Rachel shook her head in disbelief "You're unbelievable!"

"No…what's unbelievable is that you're defending them! What the hell Rachel? I thought you were on my side!"

"I'm not on anyone's side!" Rachel argued "Heck I am on my own side!"

Jake chuckled shaking his head "Good luck with that" he said before attempting to walk away but Rachel grabbed his arm.

"Are you going to tell Nathan?" Rachel asked anxiously.

"Yeah…I think I am going too actually" Jake smirked.

"That's not fair Jake"

"Yeah well life's not fair either is it Rachel?" Jake muttered shrugging her arm off of him and walking away before Rachel could get another word in.

* * *

"I need to go back to school" Brooke sighed as she sat up from her placing lying on Lucas's lap.

Lucas let out a deep breath "I guess I do too" he mumbled standing up.

"Do you think…" Brooke started but took a deep breath before continuing "Do you think that Jake would have told Nathan yet?"

Lucas looked down to the floor knowing that this was his fault, but maybe it was all for the best anyway. "I don't know" he told her honestly "Maybe"

"I need to tell him" Brooke said regretfully "If he hears it from someone else it's only going to hurt him that little bit more…I am going to have to do it"

"What? Now?" Lucas asked surprised.

"It's going to have to be. Too many people know about it already and Peyton is starting to get suspicious" Brooke sighed dejectedly.

"But at school?" Lucas asked "I mean…do you really think that's the best place to do that?"

"It's going to have to be if I want to get to him before Jake does" Brooke told him.

"Well…I will come with you"

Brooke let out a dry laugh and shook her head "I don't think that would be the best option"

Lucas gave a small smile "Ok…so maybe not. But I will still come to school with you"

"Alright" Brooke nodded as they walked out of the apartment and towards Lucas's car.

* * *

"Are you ready for this?" Lucas asked softly as he rubbed Brooke's hand gently from where it was rested on his knee in his car.

"No not really" Brooke said with a small chuckle "But I need to do this" she told him with a deep breath as the two stepped out of the car. It was lunch time which meant that the quad was busy and already people were looking at them strangely as they walked side by side towards the cafeteria.

--

"Nathan!" Jake shouted as he walked towards Nathan who was sitting with some of the guys from the team.

Nathan looked up with a raised eyebrow "What do you want?" he asked with a disgusted and bitter tone in his voice.

Jake smirked, enjoying this already "I think you should know something…about Brooke"

Nathan frowned standing up "What are you talking about?" he asked getting protective over his best friend already.

--

"Brooke?" Peyton asked confused as she walked towards Brooke who was just about to enter the cafeteria.

"Peyton" Brooke sighed closing her eyes.

Peyton glanced at Lucas who was rubbing the back of his neck nervously and then back at Brooke who looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What are you doing with _him_?" she asked confused.

Brooke glanced back at Lucas before turning back to her best friend "Peyton…I…" she stuttered unsure of what to say.

--

"You got something to say Jagelski?" Nathan spat coldly "Then say it!" he urged as he flicked his shoulder.

Jake looked down to where Nathan had just made contact with him, he looked up towards the darker brunette with a smug grin plastered on his face "How do you feel about your brother Nathan?"

Nathan looked at him confused. What the hell was this guy on?

--

"Brooke? What's going on?" Peyton asked totally confused with the situation. Why the hell was Brooke with Lucas Scott of all people?

"Do you want me to tell her babe?" Lucas asked Brooke softly not realizing the pet name he used on the end. From the look on Brooke's face she didn't notice either, but Peyton's was another story.

"Babe?" She asked in shock and also anger creeping into her voice.

--

"What is this Jake?" Nathan asked annoyed "I don't have time for your little games"

"Oh trust me Nathan…this isn't a game" Jake smirked "Brooke…and your brother…have been seeing each other behind your back"

--

"Brooke? Why the fuck is he calling you babe?" Peyton asked again when nobody answered.

"Peyton…" Brooke again stuttered. Wow, she thought…she could only say Peyton. Since when was Brooke Davis tongue tied?

"Are you and _him_…" Peyton trailed and gulped before continuing "Sleeping together?"

--

Nathan's eyes hardened as he looked at Jake sternly "You're lying" he hissed. There was no way in hell that Brooke would sink that low. No way in hell!

"Am I?" Jake asked smugly "Where was Brooke last week huh Nathan?" he asked "With Lucas…fucking him" he taunted.

--

"Don't…its more than that" Brooke said struggling to find the right words to say. She had spent all her time worrying about how Nathan would react that she totally forgot about the blonde's opinion on all of this as well.

"Yeah…right" Peyton scoffed "What is this? Are you trying to get back at Nathan or something?" she asked before turning to Lucas "Are you using her to get back at Nathan? Is this all a game to you?"

"It's not a game and it's not about Nathan…we love each other" Lucas cut in as he took Brooke's hand in his and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Aw…how sweet!" Peyton spat sarcastically.

--

"Shut the fuck up man! I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing here but it's not funny so just get lost!" Nathan shouted angrily causing heads to turn. The Tree Hill High Students had more of their fair share of drama to watch today. The gossip circle must be booming right now.

"Oh this is no joke. I wish it was…but it's not" Jake said with a shrug "How does it feel to know that your best friend has been with your bastard of a brother for a while now?" he asked smugly. He looked at Nathan's angry face, his face burning with fury. "I take by your facial expression that it's not a good feeling" he chuckled.

Nathan raised his fist and punched Jake square in the face, Jake fell down to the floor in pain, his cuts and bruises still fresh from Lucas's attack this morning. "Stay the fuck away from me!" Nathan screamed into his face before storming out of the dinner hall. Leaving many shocked faces.

--

"How long has this little love affair been going on for then?" Peyton asked coldly "Huh? How long?"

Brooke looked down at the floor before raising her head and looking at Peyton guiltily "About four months now…maybe a little longer"

Peyton let out a dry laugh "Four months?" she asked in disbelief "Four fucking months and you're only telling me _now_!" she shouted angrily

"Peyt-" Brooke started but got cut off.

"So it is true then?" Nathan asked coldly.

Brooke froze on the spot. She didn't want Nathan to find out this way.

Nathan looked down at Brooke and Lucas's linked hands and let out a bitter laugh "You're with _him_?" he asked in a disgusted voice "A junkie?"

"You don't know me man" Lucas cut in looking Nathan dead in the eye.

Nathan only seemed to get angrier as Lucas spoke "Don't fucking speak to me! I was talking to her! Not _you_" he screamed "So shut the fuck up!"

Peyton stood back in surprise, she couldn't remember the last time Nathan was _this_ angry and she had seen him mad a lot of times.

Lucas held his hands up in defense as he took a step back. He could see Nathan was angry; it didn't take a genius to work that one out.

"Nathan…please…can we just talk about this?" Brooke asked softly as she reached out to touch his shoulder softly.

As soon as Brooke's hand made contact with him, Nathan quickly pulled back "Don't touch me!" he hissed "Don't touch me when those hands have been on _him_"

Brooke felt her eyes burning up and she swallowed hard to stop the tears from falling "Please Nate…don't be like this…"

"No!" Nathan cut in "I don't want to talk to you Brooke…just…just stay the hell away from me" he muttered angrily as he took a step back and was about to walk away. But then something made him turn back around. "And one more thing" he said as he walked towards Lucas before lifting his fist up and punching him in the face "Stay the fuck out of my life!" he shouted angrily at him before storming away.

"Luke…are you ok?" Brooke asked worriedly as Lucas wiped some of the blood from his now bleeding lip.

"I'm fine" Lucas muttered before his eyes turned soft "What about you?" he asked concerned.

Brooke let out a dry laugh "I'm great" she mumbled sarcastically before turning back to Peyton who just shook her head.

"I don't want to hear it Brooke…I'm not interested" Peyton told her before turning back and walking towards the school building.

Brooke closed her eyes tight and sighed deeply.

"Hey…come here" Lucas said softly as he pulled her in for a hug "It's okay…you have me" he said reassuringly as he kissed the top of her head. Not even caring that people were looking at them with shocked faces. The truth was finally out, now every single person involved had to deal with the consequences.

**

* * *

**

A/N: So, what did you guys think? Please review and tell me! They always inspire me to write more.

**The more reviews faster updates!**


	9. More Careful

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill! **

* * *

"Nathan Scott! I am not going anywhere so will you please just open the damn door!" Brooke shouted as she continued to knock on the Scott's residence door. She decided to give him a few hours to cool off but obviously it wasn't long enough since she was still standing outside of his house waiting for him to just let her in and talk. "Please Nathan" she pleaded, her tone softer this time. "Just open up" she smiled when she heard footsteps coming to the door but it soon fell when she was met with Nathan's angry face.

"I don't want you here Brooke so just leave" Nathan spat coldly as he folded his arms against his chest.

"Please Nate...can we just talk about this?" Brooke asked desperately "Just let me explain it"

"There is nothing to explain Brooke" Nathan hissed stubbornly "So please...just leave"

"No" Brooke grunted as she folded her arms and hunched her shoulders up "You have to hear me out" she said with a pout.

Nathan rolled his eyes. It wasn't going to work this time...not for this. "No I don't" he replied in a stubborn manner.

"Yes you do"

"No Brooke...I don't!"

"Yes Nathan! You do!" Brooke told him not backing down.

"Why?" Nathan asked frustratingly "There is nothing to explain Brooke! You went behind my back and started dating my worst enemy! Why would you do that?"

Brooke looked down to the floor guiltily before looking back up to face him "Our relationship is not about you Nathan"

Nathan scoffed "No but it's obvious that he is just using you to get back at me!" he spat "And you're the idiot who fell for it!"

"Don't call me an idiot!" Brooke hissed at him, her face clearly showing her anger "You don't know him...he loves me"

"Yeah...of course he does" Nathan muttered sarcastically. "Why would you date him Brooke?" he asked honestly "You are so much better than him!"

Brooke shook her head "No I'm not"

"Yes you are" Nathan said sternly "Brooke he is a loser! A drug dealer...what could possibly make you stoop so low that you would actually date a guy like that? He is not good enough for you"

Brooke again shook her head "Yes he is...and you certainly aren't the person to tell me who is and who is not _good enough for me_" she said in disbelief "I love him Nathan...I don't care about what he does or what he has done in the past"

"He has changed you Brooke!" Nathan said in disbelief "Can't you see that? Can't you see what he is doing to you?"

"Yeah he has changed me" Brooke agreed with a nod and Nathan frowned slightly confused however that faded with Brooke's next comment "He has changed me for the better"

"What is wrong with you?" Nathan shouted angrily "Why are you falling for all his lies?"

"This isn't a game Nathan" Brooke sighed "It's real" she told him "And I love him…and I am going to carry on being with him. Whether you like it or not." She said sadly "I really don't want to lose our friendship over this"

"Yeah well you should have thought about that before you got with that loser" Nathan spat "So if you want to be with him then fine! Go ahead Brooke!" he said before throwing in a warning "But if you do…that's it…our friendship will be over"

Brooke looked at him dejectedly as she felt tears burn up in her eyes "Well then I'm sorry Nathan" she said sadly "I don't want to lose Lucas"

Nathan shook his head in disbelief "So you would rather lose me! We have been best friends for 10 years, does that not mean anything to you?" he asked before letting out a dry laugh "You know what Brooke, forget it…just go"

"Nate-" she started before getting cut off.

"Don't call me that" Nathan sneered nastily "You don't have the right too…not anymore. Actually…I would prefer it if you just didn't speak to me at all"

Brooke shook her head unbelievably before shrugging "Fine…if that's what you want"

"It is" he answered simply and stubbornly.

"Alright" Brooke muttered as she took a step back. She glanced at his angry and stubborn face one last time before turning around and walking towards her car defeated.

Nathan walked back inside and slammed door shut angrily "Damn it!" he screamed angrily as he punched his fist into the door.

* * *

Lucas walked towards the River Court and smirked as he saw Jake miss a three throw. He started clapping gaining Jake's attention as the brunette turned around to face his old friend.

"You look strangely happy for someone who has just had their biggest secret revealed" Jake hissed nastily.

Lucas shrugged, the smirk still plastered on his face "That's because I am happy"

Jake frowned confused as he eyed up his old acquaintance "Are you high?" he asked seriously.

Lucas chuckled as he shook his head "Nope…but I would like to say thank you Jake"

"Why?" Jake asked still confused.

"Because you have done me a favor by telling Nathan" Lucas grinned "Now I get Brooke to myself and we don't even have to hide it". Ok, so that may be partly true, he was glad that he got Brooke to himself now but he also felt bad that his girlfriend lost her best friend over it, even if it was Nathan.

Oh Lucas wished he had a camera to take a picture of Jake's facial expression right now, he clearly looked annoyed and very pissed off that his actions against Lucas had only worked to the blondes advantage. "What's wrong Jake? You lost your tongue?" he asked with a huge grin playing on his lips "So now that your little plan has backfired I suggest you stay the hell out of my life and I will stay out of yours"

Jake glared at Lucas heavily "You don't get to decide when this is over!" he spat as he took a step towards Lucas.

Lucas however pushed him back slightly, forcing him to take a step back "Oh I think I do Jake…this is over…whatever battle we had against each other is over and if I was you….I would just walk away right now"

Jake stood silently as he contemplated what to do his in head, he still held Lucas's strong gaze as he shifted from one foot to the other. "Ok" he finally said breaking the silence between the two.

Lucas had to admit that he was surprised that Jake had given up so easily, he knew that if Jake was the one calling the truce that he wouldn't be so sure that he could just walk away when the other guy said so, however maybe that was the difference between the two, Jake was always the more level-headed one in their friendship and Lucas was glad that his drug addiction hadn't seemed to have taken that away from him…yet.

Jake didn't wait for Lucas to answer as he picked up his basketball and walked away.

* * *

Brooke sad alone under the bridge where she and Peyton always used to hang out as kids, it was their spot and one of the only places where Brooke could go to find peace.

"I thought I would find you here"

Brooke looked up surprised to see Peyton hesitantly approaching her. She gave her a small smile as Peyton sat down next to her.

"So I take it things didn't go well with Nathan?" Peyton asked as the two looked down on the river.

Brooke let out a dry laugh "That's an understatement for it" she muttered "Our friendship is over"

Peyton sighed loudly "No offence Brooke but what did you expect? That he would just welcome Lucas with open arms?" she asked.

"No of course not" Brooke mumbled. "I didn't expect anything from him…I just…" she trailed unsure of what to say.

"You just wanted to have the best of both worlds" Peyton said shaking her head "Well newsflash Brooke…you can't…you picked Lucas so you're going to have to live with that." She told her friend.

"I know that!" Brooke groaned frustratingly "I wouldn't give Lucas up for anything but part of me still wishes that I could still have Nathan by my side"

Peyton nodded but then turned her gaze away from the water and looked at her best friend "But like you said Brooke…you're not prepared to give up Lucas"

"What about you?" Brooke asked turning her head to the side to look at the curly haired blonde.

"What about me?"

"You're mad at me…I can hear it in your voice" Brooke sighed.

"I just don't understand Brooke…why would you even want to date Lucas Scott?" Peyton asked seriously "You could have any guy you wanted…so why him?"

"I don't know" Brooke admitted honestly "We just…connect"

"How?" Peyton asked in disbelief "You guys have barely anything in common! He is a drug dealer…he is a bad guy Brooke!" Peyton warned.

Brooke shook her head "No he's not Peyton…ok? You don't know him!"

Peyton rolled her eyes "I know enough about him to know that he is not good enough for you"

"You can't say that when you don't even know anything about him" Brooke told her defending her boyfriend.

"I do know that he sells drugs for a living" Peyton pointed out.

Brooke shook her head "It's not as straight forward as it sounds…he hasn't exactly had the best upbringing Peyt"

"Yeah, you and me both Brooke…but do you see us selling drugs to addicts? No…although…I wouldn't be surprised anymore if you were doing it with him" Peyton spat harshly.

Brooke sighed "That's not fair Peyton"

"Life's not fair Brooke but that does not give us the excuse to live like his does"

Brooke turned her gaze out back to the river. She didn't understand. She would never understand.

* * *

Lucas stood at the River Court contemplating on what his next move with Kevin would be but he was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard the bouncing sound of a basketball. He turned around to see two guys approaching the court. He could recognize them as some boys from his school but he hadn't really talked to them before.

Skills and Mouth eyed Lucas suspiciously as they stood at the edge of the court. Skills was the first to speak up. "Can we half the court dawg?" he asked before bouncing the ball off the concrete.

Lucas shrugged "Sure" he answered simply even though he didn't even have a ball to play with.

Skills began bouncing the ball before making the perfect shot into the basket whereas Mouth sat and watched him from the picnic bench.

Lucas watched Skills make yet another three throw "Nice shot" he commented.

Skills turned around and eyed Lucas suspiciously "Thanks…I guess" he said unsure as to why Lucas Scott was paying him a compliment, as far as he knew this guy was a major jerk.

"Want a game of one on one?" Lucas asked motioning for Skills to pass him the ball.

Skills side glanced at Mouth who shrugged in response before turning back towards Lucas "You play?" he asked generally surprised.

"Yeah" Lucas said simply "I can play"

Skills frowned "Are you any good?"

Lucas smirked smugly "I'm better than good"

Skills once again glanced at Mouth who once again had no response for him "If I said yes…what would be in it for you?"

Lucas frowned confused "What do you mean?"

"Well…dawg…no offence but your Lucas Scott…how do I not know that this is some kind of hustle?" Skills asked suspiciously.

Lucas raised an eyebrow "You don't even know me" he replied

"No but I know of you" Skills said and Lucas again gave him a confused glance "I'm in your P.E class"

"Oh" Lucas nodded "Well I don't really go to that class much" he said with a half hearted laugh "So you going to give me a game or not?"

Skills looked to the ball in his hands then back at Lucas "Alright dawg, but get ready to beaten" he said passing him the ball.

Lucas scoffed with a smirk "I wouldn't say that yet if I was you" he grinned before making the perfect shot which surprised both Skills and Mouth.

* * *

"And that's game" Lucas smirked as he and Skills tiredly sat down on the picnic bench.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Mouth asked still surprised that Lucas actually beat Skills 4 games to 1.

Lucas shrugged "It just came natural I guess" he said "Although I used to practice a lot"

"Seems like it runs in the genes…you and Nathan" Skills commented realizing that he had just put his foot in his mouth.

Lucas frowned at Skills comment but decided not to take his remark seriously.

Mouth noticed the awkward silence that started and was about to speak but the ringing sound of Lucas's cell phone cut the tension that formed.

Lucas smirked as he read the caller ID "Hey baby" he answered "I'm at the River Court…yeah…ok…see you then" he finished before hanging up and turning back to Mouth and Skills "Do you mind if my girl comes and hangs out?" he asked.

"No it's fine" Mouth replied "Wait…your girl…as in Brooke Davis?"

Lucas nodded "Yeah"

"So the rumors are true! Dawg that's crazy…you're so lucky tapping a girl like that!"

"I think what he means by that is that you two make a great couple" Mouth cut in.

Lucas smiled shaking his head "You know…I think that you two are going to be the only ones to say that" he laughed but his smile only grew bigger as he saw Brooke pull up. He got up and jogged towards her meeting her as she stepped out of the car.

"Hey Pretty Girl" he smirked as he leant down and kissed her softly.

"Hi" Brooke smiled as she glanced over at Mouth and Skills who were looking over at them "Who are those guys?" she asked curiously not expecting Lucas to have company.

"Come over and meet them" Lucas said as he took her hand in his and led her towards them. "Boys you know Brooke right?" he asked and Skills and Mouth both nodded in greeting. "Brooke this is Skills and that's Mouth"

"Hi guys…hey…aren't you in my history class?" she asked motioning to Mouth who smiled widely at the recognisation.

"Y-Yes I am" Mouth replied happily.

"Whatever…enough of the chit chat…Skills, you ready to get your ass kicked by me again?" Lucas asked with a smug smile motioning back to the court.

Skills rolled his eyes standing up "Don't get to cocky Lucas"

Lucas chuckled as he leant down and kissed Brooke softly on the lips

"Go get him boyfriend" Brooke smirked before leaning in and leaving a lingering kiss before Lucas jogged back onto the court to beat Skills for the 5th time that night.

* * *

Brooke's eyes fluttered open the next morning tiredly. She looked at the clock which read 6:51am which reminded her that they had school today, a full day as her and Lucas being revealed as a couple. It was strange how so much had changed in less than 24 hours, her and Nathan's lifelong friendship had ended, hers and Peyton's was sort of in the air at the moment so she had no idea what was going on with that. But the good thing that came with those negative things was that her relationship with Lucas only seemed to get better and better and she could see that Lucas was more than happy that they didn't have to stay a secret anymore.

Turning her head to the side she smirked when she saw Lucas's naked body laying there in a deep sleep, his arm lazily flung over her waist and his legs tangled up in hers. She slowly lifted herself up, untangling herself from him and stepping out of bed but not before leaving a soft peck on his forehead. She walked towards her mirror and smiled sadly at the photographs of her and Nathan and even her and Peyton. Her smile grew bigger however as she realized something.

She opened the door to her closet and stood tall to reach the top before digging through it and pulling out a box, she placed it quietly on the floor, careful not to wake Lucas up before opening it up to reveal pictures of herself and Lucas together and even a couple of Lucas on his own, she grinned as she took them over to her mirror before pinning them down knowing that Lucas's ego would be boosted seeing them hung up there. She stepped back in satisfaction after pinning up most of the pictures before placing the box back in its hideout and leaving the bedroom to go and make breakfast hoping that Lucas would notice the new adjustments to her mirror when he woke up.

* * *

"Stupid thing!" Brooke muttered angrily as she slammed her fist against the toaster.

"Whoa baby…you should keep that temper of yours in check" Lucas smirked as he stood by the kitchen door.

Brooke turned her head back "I burned the damn toast!" she huffed "Again!"

Lucas shook his head chuckling as he walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind before kissing her neck softly "That's ok…I'm not that hungry anyway" he mumbled against her neck before sucking on it lightly "Nice photo's by the way" he whispered against her neck before returning to his previous actions.

Brooke closed her eyes and moaned softly, Lucas knew exactly what to do to get her going. She turned around so she was no facing him and pulled his head down towards hers kissing him hard on the lips.

Lucas lifted her up onto the bench so he was standing in-between her legs as he continued to kiss her hard on the mouth before gaining entrance and letting his tongue roam freely. Brooke's fingers ran over his head as she tried to bring him even closer to her.

Lucas ran his hands down Brooke's bare thighs before lifting them up and wrapping them around his waist so that he was now carrying her. His mouth left hers as he began to leave hot heavy kisses along her neck and collarbone, repeating his actions as he carried her towards her bedroom.

"We are going to be late for school" he heard Brooke's quiet muffled voice come out somewhere along the way but he was too horny to care.

* * *

"This day so far has been totally weird" Lucas muttered as he sat down next to Brooke at lunch.

They two were a little late for school but nothing major, but since they arrived everyone had obviously heard about the two of them dating so they were the main topic in gossip central which really annoyed Lucas.

"Whys that?" Brooke asked after giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Well everyone seems to be staring at me! Following my every damn move and walking through the corridor is worse, all these girls whispering and giggling behind me! I didn't think that our relationship would be this important to people" Lucas said annoyed at the fact that everyone seemed to care about his business.

"Ah" Brooke smirked "Now you know what it's like to be noticed"

"Yeah well they should just all butt out; it's not any of their business!" Lucas spat angrily.

Brooke let out a small laugh "Your just not used to the attention baby…don't worry, it gets easier"

"Yeah well it shouldn't have to! I don't like to be noticed!"

"It won't last forever…trust me…give it a week and it would have all died down" Brooke told him reassuringly as she ran her hand down his chest "Just be patient"

"Yeah it's kind of hard to be patient when everyone's eyes are on you!" Lucas said pointing to a group of cheerleaders who were looking over at them curiously.

Brooke rolled her eyes at her squad "Ignore them…they are being seriously immature"

Lucas groaned "But it's not that easy to ignore them" he grumbled "I'm not used to it"

"Well how about we do something to take your mind off it?" Brooke asked with a smirk as she wrapped her arms around his neck and shuffled even closer to him.

"Oh yeah…and what are you suggesting?" Lucas asked huskily as he let his fingers run up and down her sides.

"Something along the lines of this" she whispered before leaning in and kissing him softly.

Lucas pulled away with a nod "Hm…I like that" he grinned.

Brooke smiled as she placed her hand on his cheeks and brought his face closer to hers "I thought you would" she smirked before reattaching her lips against his and suddenly Lucas didn't care about the group of cheerleaders watching with gasps and whispers.

* * *

Brooke stood stretching in the gym at practice after school that day and rolled her eyes at her gossiping squad who were clearly talking about her. She glanced over at Nathan who had been avoiding her gaze all day and it made her wonder if it was that easy for him to cut her out of his life for good. Peyton wasn't exactly being the warmest hearted person today either, she was obviously still pissed off about her and Lucas and she wondered when she would come round or if she even would at all, but at least Peyton had spoken to her today…unlike Nathan who didn't even seem to give her a second glance.

"Brooke"

Brooke cringed at the voice before turning around with a raised eyebrow and a stone cold expression on her face "What do you want Rachel?" she asked impatiently.

"Look Davis" Rachel started in a tone that amused Brooke, it was almost as if Rachel was trying to hide her guilt through a tough voice however Brooke wasn't entirely sure, but…it was a bitchy Rachel voice with a slight forceful edge to it "Don't expect me to apologize about telling Jake but I would just like you to know that I was completely drunk and stoned out of my head when I let it slip…ok?" Rachel said looking around the gym with her eyes as she waited impatiently for Brooke to reply.

Brooke nodded "Ok"

"Ok?" Rachel asked turning her head to Brooke, unsure if she had heard right.

"Yep" Brooke told her simply.

"Is that it?" Rachel asked confused. She was expecting Brooke to declare a full on war against her or something. Not just 'ok'.

"Yeah"

"But-" Rachel started but got cut off by the brunette.

"But you were expecting me to be a bitch to you right?" she asked with a laugh and Rachel nodded still confused about it "And you thought that I would try to make your life hell because you let my secret out?"

"Well…yeah" Rachel answered still unsure of what else to say.

"Hm" Brooke nodded with a small smirk "Maybe I would have said that another day…but not today"

Rachel frowned "I don't get it"

"I'm too happy to care about the shit you pull right now Rachel" Brooke said with a shrug "So I guess…I can just let this mistake slide"

Rachel nodded her head as she took a step back and went to walk towards the rest of the girls but Brooke grabbed her arm forcing her to come to a halt.

"But if you screw me over like that again then trust me Rachel, the next time I won't be letting you off so easily" Brooke warned seriously.

Rachel nodded, a part of her up for the challenge "Whatever you say Davis" she smirked before Brooke let go of her arm and she walked back towards the rest of the squad.

* * *

Lucas pulled up at the empty abanded car park where he saw Shawn Fern waiting patiently; he also glanced over at the other guy standing by his car. Lucas rolled his eyes as he stepped out.

"Nice car" Shawn smirked as Lucas glanced back at Brooke's blue beetle "It's my girls" he said not at all amused "What's he for?" he asked motioning to the stocky guy standing by Shawn's car.

Shawn shrugged "I guess you could call him my back up…if you get my drift"

Lucas let out a dry laugh "I'm not going to rob you"

"It's just proportion" Shawn said eying Lucas suspiciously "After all…the last time we were alone together you punched me and threw me up against a brick wall before threatening to beat my ass"

Lucas rolled his eyes as he thought back to Shawn's party where he walked in on him and Brooke together "Whatever man…the past is the past" he grunted "So back to business…do you have it?"

Shawn nodded as he waved his arm motioning for the other guy to come over. He walked over and handed Shawn a gym bag.

"Is it in there?" Lucas asked eying the bag.

"Yep" Shawn nodded as he pulled out the object wrapped in a dark blanket before opening it up to reveal a gun "Money first"

Lucas raised an eyebrow "How do I know that once I give you the money that you're not gonna run off and send your 'back up' to beat my ass?" he asked looking at Shawn sternly.

"And how do I know that once I give you this…your just gonna run off with the money before shooting _my _ass?" Shawn asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lucas looked at him with a heavy gaze "Can we just get on with this? I've got somewhere to be"

Shawn put the gun back into the bag before handing it to Lucas but keeping his hand on one of the straps just encase. Lucas pulled out a wallet full of cash before handing it back over to Shawn as the two made the exchange.

"Can I ask what you need it for?" Shawn asked curiously.

"No" Lucas hissed sternly "But let's just say that there are some weasels who need to be put back in their place" he mumbled as he looked down at the bag "Nice doing business with you" he grunted before walking back towards Brooke's car.

* * *

Lucas stood by Brooke's car outside of the gym waiting for her to come from practice. He personally didn't like the idea of Brooke working out in short shorts in front of a group of horny jocks but Brooke enjoyed cheering so there wasn't really much he could do about it. He stood up straight when he saw a tired looking Nathan leave the gym and walk into the car park and that's when he cursed himself for unintentionally parking two spaces next to Nathan's convertible. A car that he was sure daddy dearest bought for him.

Nathan looked up and noticed Lucas standing by Brooke's car, obviously waiting to pick her up. He glared at the blonde heavily as he walked closer and closer towards his car. Lucas held his stern gaze, determined not to back down until Nathan stepped into his sports car and sped away.

"Hi gorgeous" Brooke smirked as she skipped towards him.

Lucas grinned as he leant down and kissed Brooke softly on the lips "Hey sexy" he said with a wink "You ready to go?" he asked and Brooke nodded before stepping into the car.

Lucas glanced down at the bag that sat next to Brooke's feet, since he thought he was late picking her up he didn't have time to go and drop it off at his apartment and he just realized how stupid he was for not doing so.

"What's this?" Brooke asked curiously as she picked up the bag just as Lucas was pulling out of the car park.

"Nothing!" Lucas said quickly as he took the bag off her in a flash.

Brooke eyed her boyfriend suspiciously and Lucas cursed himself for being so obvious "Sorry" he said with a small nervous laugh "It's just I have got some smack in there and I didn't want you to see it" he lied.

"Oh" Brooke said with a nod "You know that I have seen that stuff before Luke" she joked "It's not a big deal"

"I know" Lucas nodded "Sorry" he said giving her a small smile before reaching behind him and placing the bag on the floor in the back. He looked back at Brooke and gave her a tight smile before taking her hand in his before squeezing it tightly and bringing it towards his lips and kissing her fingers lightly.

Brooke smiled warmly at the gesture and leant her head against the seat and closed her eyes, tired from that nights practice.

Lucas saw her close her eyes and glanced back towards the bag nervously before letting out a breath. That was a close one. He knew he would have to be more careful from now on.

* * *

**A/N: Well? I hope you all liked it! I am almost on 200 hundred reviews! I can't believe it! Haha! Thanks so much guys! Seriously...your reviews mean a lot and they really do inspire me to write more so I hope you keep them coming!**

**Thanks!**

**Sara x**


	10. Tree Hill Has It's Drama

****

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: Well, I just wanted to say thanks to Rianna for the longest the review I have ever had lol! Seriously…I always love your reviews but that was just wow! Thanks!**

**And to everyone else…thanks so much for reviewing, especially the long ones! It means a lot.**

**Oh and Tash! You reviewed on my log in haha! When you logged in on your pc you might have clicked that log in for 3 days thing! Haha I just got your review and it said Brucas2006 and I was confused then I realized that it was you! Love ya! And again...thanks for posting the last chapter for me! I really don't know why it wouldn't work for me but this chapter has so its all good! **

* * *

It had been a couple of weeks since everyone had found out about Brooke and Lucas being together and the gossip was beginning to die down but Nathan and Brooke's friendship was pretty much over still and even her relationship with Peyton was dying down ever so slowly. Brooke was starting to get used to it though, after all she could now be with Lucas as much as she liked and since Lucas was more than happy to have Brooke all to himself; for the first time since that night at the bar life was pretty easy right now, at least in Brooke's eyes anyway.

Lucas pulled out the bag from his closet draw and opened it up to reveal his gun, he picked it up slowly and held it in his hand, inspecting it carefully, and he lifted it up and pointed it towards the wall, almost as if he was thinking about pulling the trigger.

"Lucas!"

"Shit" Lucas muttered under his breath and quickly pushed the gun back inside his backpack and pushed it into the draw, closing it just in time as Brooke appeared at his bedroom door.

Brooke eyed him suspiciously as she just caught him slamming his closet draw a little too quickly. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing" Lucas replied simply as he stood up and walked towards her and placing his hands on Brooke's waist. Brooke glanced over at the closet briefly before turning her gaze back on Lucas. "I thought I was picking you up?" Lucas said hoping to end her suspicions and change the subject.

"You were…but I was bored so I thought I would come over" Brooke said with a shrug "Why…what's with the secrecy Scott? What are you hiding?" she asked suspiciously as she went to walk over to his closet but Lucas quickly pulled her back.

"Whoa there pretty girl slow down" Lucas said with a nervous laugh as Brooke frowned at him.

"What are you hiding? Come on tell me!" Brooke moaned with a pout.

Lucas glanced back at his wardrobe before placing his hand gently on Brooke's cheek before pushing back some of her hair behind her ear "I can't tell you"

"Why not? It's not bad is it?" she asked hesitantly.

"No" Lucas shook his head "But you can't know"

"Why?" Brooke pouted "I don't like you keeping secrets from me"

Lucas looked down at the floor with guilt but quickly regained his composure hoping Brooke hadn't noticed. "Fine" he said with a deep sigh "Do you really want to know?" he asked.

Brooke nodded her head furiously "Yes…come on…tell me"

"It's your Christmas present" Lucas lied.

Brooke's mouth formed a slight 'o' shape at the realization, but then her face broke out into a grin "Can I see it?" she asked excitedly.

Lucas laughed nervously before shaking his head "No"

"Why not?" Brooke pouted.

"You're asking a lot of questions today aren't you babe?" Lucas asked as he pushed her out of his room by her waist, forcing her to walk backwards into the kitchen as he walked in front of her.

"Yeah but you don't even like Christmas so who cares if I see my present early" Brooke moaned.

"_I_ do" Lucas said with a small smile before shutting her up with a hard kiss on the lips.

Brooke pulled back in surprise not expecting that to come "What was that for?" she asked with a small smirk.

Lucas shrugged "I just felt like kissing you"

"Hmm" Brooke nodded with a grin as she wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him back, the bag in the closet long forgotten.

* * *

Haley James walked out of the office in the main building of Tree Hill High School and already she was lost, she pulled out the map the school secretary gave her and saw that she had Calculus first in room 34. "34" she mumbled to herself as she looked into the crowded hallway, she was yet to be assigned to a locker but the secretary told her that she would receive a note and a key sometime this morning for that. "Excuse me I-" she started to ask some girl who was walking by her but the girl just turned her head away and carried on walking.

"Thanks" Haley muttered sarcastically to herself as she realized that none of the students around her even noticed that she existed which was a lot different from the last school she was at. Back there she was known as the 'new girl' and as soon as she arrived people were looking at her and whispering but here it seemed like everybody had their friends and their clicks and that they didn't want to socialize with anyone else outside of that.

Haley was too lost in her thoughts, and lost around the school that she didn't notice a fast walking redhead heading her way which also meant that she wasn't expecting her to crash straight into her.

Haley cursed under her breath as all of her equipment went crashing to the floor, she leant down to pick it up before looking up to apologize to the glaring girl standing above "I'm sorry" she apologized quickly as she stood up "I totally didn't see you coming".

"Rebecca right?" Rachel asked with a bored expression on her face, not even realizing that this girl was a new student.

"Actually I'm new here, my name is-" she started but got cut off.

"Whatever I don't care" Rachel spat bitchily "Just watch where you're going next time, I don't take to kindly to people of your standards ruining my composure" she finished cattily before walking away leaving a shocked Haley behind.

Haley watched the redhead strut away in shock as her jaw hung open still not getting over her attitude.

"Her name is Rachel Gatina…your regular high school bitch"

Haley turned around to see a curly haired blonde staring at her from her place by what she was assuming was her locker. "Yeah I can see that" Haley replied with a small laugh as she hesitantly approached the girl.

"That girl has more attitude than I do and that's actually a lot" the girl said with a shrug "Peyton Sawyer" she finished as she held her hand out.

"Haley James" she answered with a smile as she shook her hand before glancing back in Rachel's direction.

"So…you new here or what?" Peyton asked curiously.

"Yeah" Haley nodded "My dad got transferred here a couple of weeks ago and me and my mom just followed him down over the weekend" she told her and Peyton nodded her head.

"So you still haven't gotten used to the small town yet?" Peyton asked.

"Well…some of the roads are a little confusing but I am getting there" Haley smiled glad that someone was actually making an effort with her.

"Oh I wasn't talking about the roads" Peyton said with a small laugh "I was talking about the people"

"What? Are they that bad?" Haley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Worse" Peyton smirked "But don't worry…I'm sure you will get used to Tree Hill's drama in no time"

"I hope so" Haley mumbled before pointing back towards Rachel who was now flirting with some guy on the basketball team "Is everyone here as rude and as bitchy as she is ?"

Peyton shrugged "Depends on who you're dealing with"

Haley let out a nervous laugh "Why do I get the feeling that this small town isn't going to be as boring as I thought?" she asked.

Peyton smirked "That's because nothing ever is boring in Tree Hill" she said with a shrug "At least not with the Scott's around"

"The Scott's?" Haley asked curiously.

"Oh Haley James you have a lot to learn" Peyton smirked as she slammed her locker shut and began to walk away, motioning for Haley to follow.

* * *

"So? What did you want to talk to me about?" Brooke asked curiously as Lucas led her outside at lunch. He had interrupted her conversation with Bevin saying that there was something important he needed to tell her.

Lucas pulled Brooke to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned in and stopped just as their lips were about to touch and whispered."It's nothing; I just wanted to get you alone so I could do this" he grinned as he brushed his lips against hers softly before pulling away.

Brooke smiled and threw her arms around his neck and closed the remaining space between their lips. The kiss started off slowly, but soon turned passionate. Before Brooke knew it she was pressed up against the wall of the building and Lucas had his hands up her shirt.

"Luke" she giggled as Lucas began to suck hard on her neck "We are at school" she got out in between moans. "So" she heard Lucas whisper against her neck and she closed her eyes tight loving the feel of his lips on her skin.

* * *

"Ok...PDA is bad enough but doing that in public is just wrong" Haley said in a disgusted voice as she motioned over to the blonde and brunette heavily making out in the corner. "That guy is all over her"

Peyton followed Haley's gaze from her place at the picnic table and rolled her eyes. Brooke and Lucas. "That guy is Lucas Scott" she told her with a sigh.

Haley's eyes widened with surprise "That is the bad tempered junkie who corrupted your best friend?"

"Corrupt may not be the best word but yes…that would be him. And that would be Brooke…my…sort of best friend" Peyton muttered shaking her head.

"You should tell her to teach her boyfriend how to keep his hands to himself in public" Haley said with a roll of the eye "Oh look…they have finally broken apart"

"And now Brooke is coming our way" Peyton mumbled as she watched Brooke part from a reluctant Lucas and walk towards them.

"Peyton Hi" Brooke smiled as she walked towards them.

"Brooke" Peyton replied with a small wave as she looked up at the brunette "I don't believe you have met Haley?" she asked motioning to her new friend.

"Hi" Brooke said simply as she glanced at the girl before turning back to Peyton "I found this" she said putting the poster on the table "You are hosting an all ages night at Tric! Peyt that's great…why didn't you tell me?"

"Well you have kind of been a little busy lately Brooke" Peyton shrugged pointing towards Lucas who was standing by the wall watching them.

"You still could have told me"

"Sorry" Peyton said "So…are you coming?" she asked.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it!" Brooke smiled "I know you have always wanted to do this!"

"Yeah well Deb Scott has finally trusted me to run it by myself without her help so that night it is just going to be me and a couple of bar staff…and of course a couple of bands will be playing"

"Peyt that's great" Brooke said happy for her friend "I'm proud of you"

Peyton laughed slightly "Don't say that yet…it might not even work, the whole thing could end up being a complete disaster"

"Don't say that" Haley cut in reminding Brooke that Peyton's new little friend was still there.

"Yeah…she is right, I'm sure everything will be fine" Brooke said reassuringly.

"I'm just hoping that there will be no trouble" Peyton sighed "Hey why don't you come with me? You know…help out"

Brooke cringed slightly as she glanced back at her boyfriend "Sorry Peyton…but I was thinking of going with Lucas"

Peyton nodded disappointedly "Right…course you were" she muttered.

"Well I can help out?" Haley offered "I don't know much but…it could give us a chance to get to know each other better"

"You would?" Peyton asked hopefully and Haley nodded "Wow thanks Haley"

Brooke rolled her eyes and sighed loudly "Well I am gonna go" she said motioning back to an impatient Lucas.

Peyton nodded "Ok" she said with a small wave as Brooke began to walk away "Brooke!" she called after her "Yeah?" Brooke asked turning around.

"Next Friday at Tric, can you make sure there is no trouble? You know… drugs and stuff? I really want this night to work" Peyton asked hesitantly.

Brooke sighed "Peyton come on…give me some credit here, I wouldn't let him bring drugs to your night"

"I do give you credit Brooke…it's your boyfriend who I don't" Peyton replied truthfully.

Brooke sighed and shook her head sadly "You're going to have to start getting used to him Peyton…because he is the biggest part of my life"

Peyton however didn't reply as she looked back down at the table and Brooke shook her head again before leaving.

* * *

Nathan sat in his chemistry class with a bored expression on his face, he looked to the right of him to see Tim playing with a spatula and he rolled his eyes of how his best pal could find that entertaining.

"Alright class" the teacher started interrupting him from his thoughts "We shall be doing an experiment today so go and sit with your lab partners"

Nathan groaned and cursed under his breath as he realized that that meant he had to work with Brooke. He looked up to see his brunette ex-best friend hesitantly approaching him.

"Looks like you're stuck with me" Brooke mumbled as she sat down next to him.

"Let's just get this done with" Nathan muttered annoyed, not in the mood to talk.

"You know…if working with me is that much of a problem for you then I'm sure between the two of us we could somehow persuade Mr. Jefferson to make us swap partners" Brooke told him.

"Go ahead and try but you know the rules…you stick with your partner for the rest of the semester. It's not my problem if you couldn't pull that one off" Nathan spat coldly and Brooke rolled her eyes knowing that he was talking about something else.

"You know what Nathan…I have tried with you, I really have" she told him shaking her head "For the last two weeks I have tried to talk to you and apologize to you but you just won't hear it so I'm done with it"

"Good…it's about damn time" Nathan hissed angrily "I was starting to get sick of your constant sorry looks and you stalking me to try and get me to forgive you, because I don't forgive you…because as long as your with that loser then I want nothing to do with you!"

Brooke nodded her head in astonishment, he really was something else. "Let me remind you of something Nathan" she started sternly "The world doesn't revolve around _you_! _My_ world does not revolve around you! And I'm sorry that I betrayed you but get over it!" she said angrily "And another thing…that _loser_ is your _brother_. You might want to acknowledge that at some point" she spat.

"Fuck you Brooke" Nathan snapped angrily.

"Your _brother_ already is" Brooke said with a smirk as she knew she was getting to him but it served him right.

Nathan however didn't reply as he angrily stood up and walked towards the front of the class to get the equipment.

* * *

"Baby where's your wallet?" Brooke asked Lucas who was in the shower. She was looking for his Trojans and planning on joining Lucas in the shower but she couldn't find his wallet anywhere.

"Lucas?" Brooke shouted again but he obviously couldn't hear her.

She walked into his bedroom and looked into his draws frustratingly just wanting to join her boyfriend under the hot water. "Where are you" she mumbled to herself as she walked towards his closet and rummaged around. She pulled out his bag and opened it before peeking inside to see if it was there however her curiosity got the best of her when she saw something wrapped in a dark blue cloth, she suspiciously unwrapped it and she nearly dropped the object when she saw it was a gun.

Brooke lifted a shaky hand to her mouth in shock and gasped in fright when she heard someone call her name. "Brooke I found the wal-!" She snapped her head around to see a shocked Lucas standing by the door in just a towel.

Lucas gulped as he saw his gun lying in Brooke's palm, he knew that she was not going to be happy with this and he just hoped to God that she would give him a chance to explain.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're a cheerleader" Haley said with a small laugh as she and Peyton walked out of the gym that night after practice. Haley, being new and had nothing much to do that night decided to go with Peyton to Cheer practice to watch. "You are like the least cheery person I have ever met"

Peyton laughed lightly "I only joined because my Mom was a cheerleader and then there was Brooke who loves it"

"So why do you think she didn't turn up tonight then?" Haley asked.

Peyton shrugged "Lucas is my first guess"

"I feel like I have walked right into the middle of drama in this town" Haley laughed shaking her head "Is it always like this?"

"Uh…pretty much" Peyton smirked just as she went crashing straight into Nathan Scott.

"Watch where you're going will you!" Nathan hissed angrily as he glared down at his ex-girlfriend.

"You watch it jackass! Keep your fucking eyes open Nathan!" Peyton spat coldly. He was such a jerk.

Haley stood awkwardly watching the argument escalade.

"Why don't you just stay the hell away from me huh Peyton? Get of my way" Nathan scowled pushing past of her and storming away.

"Screw you Nathan!" Peyton shouted after him.

Nathan turned around with the infamous Scott smug look plastered on his face "You already have" he smirked before walking into the gym.

"Asshole" Peyton muttered as she turned back to Haley "Sorry about that"

Haley let out a nervous laugh. Wow…Tree Hill sure had its drama.

* * *

"Brooke" Lucas got out nervously as he stood frozen by the door "It's…it's not what it looks like" he stuttered as he looked down to the gun in her hands and back up to her face which held a look of anger, shock and hurt.

Brooke scoffed angrily "Not what it looks like? It's a fucking gun Lucas! A gun!" She shouted in disbelief.

"I know that!" Lucas replied nervously trying not to raise his voice "But please…listen to me…" he started but got cut off by Brooke.

"No!" Brooke shouted angrily as she stood up and left the gun placed on the floor "What are you gonna do if I don't huh? Shoot me!" she asked sarcastically.

Lucas shook his head angrily "That was a low blow!" he told her with a dark stare.

"Yeah well buying guns is pretty much as low as it gets huh Lucas?" Brooke asked shaking her head as she tried to get past him but he wouldn't let her past "Lucas! Move out of my way!" she shouted angrily.

"No!" Lucas shouted back as he held onto Brooke's arm "Not until you listen to me!"

"I'm not interested in what you have to say, so just get out of my way!"

"Just shut up Brooke! Fucking listen to me!" Lucas shouted impatiently. He hated it when Brooke got mad at him because she never waited around to listen to his side of the story.

Brooke took a step back stubbornly and crossed her arms around her chest before sitting down on his bed "What possible reason could you have for hiding a gun in your closet?"

Lucas sighed as he ran a hand over his buzzed hair cut "I'm not going to use it ok? Not like that anyway" he explained.

"Well then how?" Brooke asked her head "What other reason would there be for having a gun? To play cops and robbers?" she asked sarcastically "Whose side are you on?" she asked bitchily.

Lucas rolled his eyes as he walked towards her and went to sit on the bed next to her but Brooke held her hand out to stop him "Don't" she warned seriously "I don't want you next to me until I know what you have that _weapon_ for"

Lucas sighed as he took a step back "You see this?" he asked pointing towards the fade of his bruises on his stomach that were healing from the night Kevin and his little assholes jumped him. Brooke nodded as she waited for him to continue "Kevin Potter and his dickheads of friends did this to me and they ripped me off…I only want my money back"

Brooke frowned "I thought you said you didn't know the people who beat you up"

"Yeah well I lied" Lucas muttered "Nobody screws me over Brooke…nobody"

"So what? You're going to shoot him because of it?" Brooke asked in disbelief.

"I'm just going to threaten him okay?" Lucas said annoyed "That's it!"

Brooke shook her head "Well what if you get caught? What if the cops come and you get arrested! Then what? You just gonna tell them that you weren't going to use it and then expect them to just let out off the hook?" she asked in incredulity.

"The cops aren't going to find out Brooke" Lucas told her reassuringly "Please don't be mad at me about this"

Brooke stayed silent as she looked down at her lap. Lucas took this as sign to sit down next to her as he slowly wrapped his arm around her bringing her closer to him, she didn't pull away which he took as another good sign. "I'm sorry you had to find it like that" he said softly as he kissed her forehead "I wanted to tell you but I was scared of what you would think of me" he told her honestly "I don't want you to see me the way everyone else does Brooke…I just want you to know that I wanted to be honest with you but after everyone finding out about us and pretty much all of your friends warning you against me I just didn't want you to start to believe them" he admitted.

Brooke turned slightly so she was facing them "Luke…I don't listen to those people. In fact I tell them that they are wrong about you…I know what you're like Lucas…I knew that before we started dating or whatever it was back then and I know who you are now" she said honestly "Finding that gun scared me a little because I know that if your angry and you want revenge then you will go for it" she said and Lucas was about to protest but she quickly overtook him again "You don't have to change for me Luke…I love you for _you_…and I was scared that you would use that gun and ruin what we have by ending up in prison or worse…dead" she said with a shaky voice as she struggled not to get upset at just the thought of that happening "I don't want to lose you" she admitted.

Lucas pulled her closer to her and let his fingers travel through her hair comfortingly "I have told you before Pretty Girl…you aren't going to lose me" he said "But I need to do this" he said with a slight stern voice "I need to show Kevin that he can't get away with the shit he has pulled"

"Well then I want to be there" Brooke said pulling out of his grip. Lucas frowned as he glanced at her. "I'm serious Luke…whatever you're going to do to the guy, I want to be there"

"Brooke-"

"No" Brooke cut in shaking her head "I want to be there" she told him sternly "This is obviously a part of your life and you need to start letting me be in that part…because it's just me and you now and we have to let each other in"

Lucas rubbed his face tiredly as he contemplated on what to do. He looked up at Brooke "Are you serious?" he asked. Brooke nodded, she wanted to be a part of everything in his life and that included the negative parts "Alright" he said with a sigh "Wednesday night a friend of mine is meeting Kevin in some bar outside of town…that's when it's all going to go down"

Brooke nodded as she took his hand in hers and linked their fingers together "Ok"

"Promise me something Brooke" Lucas asked nervously.

"Sure" Brooke replied.

"You will always stick by me right?"

"Always" Brooke said with a small smile as she leant forward and kissed him softly "Your never getting rid of me Broody…never" she smirked before kissing him again harder this time and Lucas flipped her over so he was lying on top.

"Good" Lucas smirked against her lips before continuing to kiss her.

**

* * *

**

A/N: A little surprised by Brooke's behavior? Let's just say that you have to go down to go up again!

**Please review! I look forward to reading what you guys think!**


	11. They Did Good

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

Lucas walked into the school cafeteria at lunch time on Wednesday looking for Brooke. Her saw her sitting alone at his table and he quickly went to sit behind her. "I don't think you should come tonight" he admitted as Brooke looked at him with a slight frown placed on her face.

"Why not?" she asked raising her eyebrow "I want to be there with you"

"I know that but what if it turns nasty?" Lucas asked not wanting Brooke to be there if it does.

"Which is more reason for me to come…I want to support you in this Luke…you agreed" Brooke pointed out. She wasn't backing down on this, she wanted to be a part of everything in his life and that included this.

Lucas sighed as her rubbed the back of his neck "You sure you don't want to back out?"

"Positive" Brooke told him confidently before turning back to the magazine she was reading.

Lucas placed his bag on the table before resting his head on top of it. He mumbled something before lightly closing his eyes.

Brooke side glanced towards him and smiled slightly. "You tired baby?" she asked as she let her hand run through his short hair which was growing from buzzed hair cut while continuing to finish reading her magazine.

"Yeah" she heard Lucas's muffled voice come out "You kept me up late last night" he said with a smirk growing on his face as he turned his head to the side.

Brooke laughed lightly as she closed what she was reading and turned her full attention on him "Maybe you should go home…you know, get some rest and catch up on some sleep. We don't want you tired tonight" Brooke pointed out.

Lucas opened his eyes slightly and sat up "Yeah…you're probably right" he said with a sigh before leaning in and kissing her softly "You want me to pick you up after school?" he asked.

"Nah…just sleep in…I will walk home" Brooke told him.

"You sure?" he asked again.

"Yep" Brooke smiled before kissing him quickly on the lips "Now go" she grinned.

Lucas smiled before getting up and leaving the cafeteria.

* * *

Peyton was walking through an empty part of the quad when she heard someone coughing loudly. She followed the sound curiously and frowned when she saw Jake slumped against the wall in a little alley between two buildings.

Jake lay tiredly with his eyes shut and his head rested against the brick building. He groaned slightly to himself before coughing once again and leaning to the side of him before throwing up.

Peyton looked at him with a disgusted look placed on her face "Are you ok?" she asked in a plain manner, showing no concern for him whatsoever.

Jake looked up startled not realizing that someone had noticed he was here. He looked up to see Peyton Sawyer looking down on him and he had to wonder to himself why she even cared.

Peyton looked down at the mess slumped in front of her, Jake was pale and his eyes were bloodshot and his hair was all over the place. He looked a mess and she was pretty sure that drugs were a big part of it. "Are you okay?" she asked again since Jake had yet to answer her.

Jake glared at her and his eyes hardened not interested in some popular cheerleader "Fuck off" he hissed.

Peyton folded her arms over her chest and scowled down at him "You do realize that you're at school right? This isn't some shit hole where you can get drunk and stoned" she spat coldly.

Jake again glared at her "What are you still doing here?" he got out before leaning back and closing his eyes tiredly "Just go away" he muttered under his breath.

Peyton sighed loudly and contemplated on whether or not she should just leave him there or not, the guy was obviously close to passing out and she wasn't sure if her conscience would let her just leave him. "I think you need to go home" she said seriously, knowing that if a teacher found him here and noticed that the guy had obviously taken some kind of drug then he would probably get expelled; not that she cared.

"And I think _you_ should mind your own business" Jake slurred as his eyes remained shut.

Peyton rolled her eyes not even put off by his attitude "Stand up" she ordered as she walked closer to him.

"What?"

"I said stand up" she told him more sternly and Jake reluctantly followed her instructions. "For god sakes you're pathetic" she muttered as Jake could barely even stand on his own two feet, she grabbed his arm as he balanced himself against her.

"Why the hell are you helping me anyway?" Jake asked with a grunt "You don't like me and I certainly don't like you" he told her as he struggled to keep his balance.

Peyton rolled her eyes as they started to walk slowly "Your right, I don't like you, but contrary to popular belief I'm not _that_ much of a bitch to just leave you lying here"

"Yeah well you're still a bitch" Jake said in a slur.

Peyton let out a dry laugh. Why was she helping him again?

* * *

Haley walked into the tutor center and frowned when she saw Nathan sitting there looking very bored.

"Can I help you?" she asked plainly as she rummaged through some books.

Nathan looked up at her and looked at her with hard eyes "You can actually" he said in a cold tone "You're my new tutor"

Haley almost dropped the books she was holding and her eyes widened. "What did you just say?" she asked, unsure if she had even heard correctly.

Nathan smirked slightly "You heard me"

Haley frowned "I'm sorry but there is no way that I am going to tutor an arrogant asshole like you!"

Nathan crossed his arms and leant back against his chair "Well that's tough baby because Principle Turner assigned me to you and everyone else is fully booked" he told her with a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Don't call me baby" Haley hissed as she sat down in the huff.

Nathan shrugged "Not one for pet names?" he asked arrogantly and Haley groaned.

"Look…I don't want to tutor you but obviously I am going to have to" she said in annoyance "So I am going to set up some rules"

Nathan smirked with a nod "I'm all up for playing by your rules sweetheart"

Haley glared at him but continued anyway "Rule number one; do not call me baby or sweetheart or any other pet name! Rule number two; I don't care if you're the king out there…but while you're in this room you follow by my orders okay?" Haley told him sternly.

Nathan nodded with a smile "Fine by me"

"And rule number three; one foot out of line and your outta here…I don't care that you need the grades for basketball or how popular you are outside of here…I'm not going to tutor you if you carry on being an ignorant asshole" she told him threateningly "You got that?"

"Yes sir" Nathan smirked "I mean ma'am"

Haley gave him a stern warning look and Nathan immediately held up his hands in defense.

"Just pass me your schedule" Haley muttered not in the mood to play along with his childish games.

* * *

Peyton struggled to help Jake over to her car as he barely walked himself. "Come on Jake…stop being a lazy ass and walk with me here!" she grunted annoyed. It didn't help that people were looking at them strangely and whispering and giggling. She could already hear the new rumors. Brooke takes in a junkie, and now Peyton will too. She scoffed to herself; she was starting to regret her decision to help this idiot.

"Speak of the devil" Peyton muttered to herself as she saw Brooke walking towards her.

"Peyton…what's going on?" Brooke asked confused as she looked at Jake who was practically hanging off the curly blonde.

Peyton rolled her eyes and looked at the brunette "Help me with him will you?" she asked impatiently and Brooke nodded as she wrapped Jake's other arm around her shoulder as the two led him towards Peyton's convertible.

"I found him out of his head" Peyton told her as they opened her car door and placed him inside "I was just going to leave him but I'm not that coldhearted" she mumbled.

Brooke nodded "He's pretty wasted"

Peyton sighed as she leant back against the door "Now do you see why I don't want Lucas in your life?"

Brooke frowned "Lucas is nothing like him" she defended "Jake is messed up"

"Yeah by drugs Brooke" Peyton told her sternly "Drugs that your boyfriend sells to people"

Brooke rolled her eyes not even bothering to get into this argument "What are you going to do with him?" she asked changing the subject.

Peyton looked back at Jake who was sprawled on her back seat. "It's not like we can just drop him off at home…not like that" she sighed "Besides, I don't even know where he lives"

"Me neither" Brooke mumbled.

Peyton nodded and looked around for a moment before an idea popped into her head "What about Lucas's place?" she asked.

Brooke immediately shook her head "No way…Lucas hates the guy"

"But they used to be friends" Peyton pointed out.

"Yeah until the asshole screwed him over" Brooke spat coldly "Lucas would so not let him in"

"Well he wouldn't even have to know would he? He would be here" Peyton said with a shrug.

Brooke shook her head "He's took the afternoon off"

"Come on Brooke…he can't just stay in my car all day!" Peyton told her seriously "What else are we supposed to do with him?"

Brooke glanced back at Jake then at Peyton and sighed "Fine…we will take him to Lucas's apartment. But I blame you if they beat the crap out each other when they wake up" she muttered annoyed.

Peyton shrugged "Whatever…I just want him out of my car" she said as the two got in into the convertible and drove off.

* * *

Haley slammed her pen against the table frustratingly "Are you even listening to me?" she asked angrily.

Nathan shrugged, his pen in his mouth and his arms folded behind his neck "I don't understand the question"

Haley glared at him "You don't understand or you're not paying attention?" she asked coldly.

Nathan again shrugged but this time didn't answer her.

"You know what" Haley muttered in frustration "This isn't going to work"

Nathan pulled the pen out of his mouth and sat up straight "You agreed to tutor me! Hell you have too…Principle Turner's decision"

"Yeah well I am pretty sure Principle Turner would agree with me when he finds out that you don't even care about your education!"

"Yeah well I don't" Nathan told her pointedly "I just need this shit for basketball"

Haley frowned "There's more to life than basketball you know"

Nathan scoffed "Yeah maybe for you…you have the brains. I don't…I have basketball"

"Yeah and you also have a massive ego" she muttered.

Nathan rolled his eyes "You know what…tell Principle Turner that I'm not interested in learning…but I am sure that he however would be interested to know that all my tutor can do is insult me"

"Are you blackmailing me?" Haley asked in disbelief.

"You can call it that if you want" Nathan smirked "I just need some C's in the important subjects to play ball…all I need you to do is help me do that"

"Yeah and I can't help you do that if you won't pay attention to me!"

Nathan looked at her with a smug grin "Maybe I would pay more attention to you if you made it worthwhile" he smirked "Like every time I get a question right…you strip" he smirked.

Haley's jaw fell in shock and she glared at him heavily "You disgust me"

* * *

"You're disgusting" Brooke muttered annoyed as Jake threw up outside of Lucas's apartment building.

Jake looked up and glared at her "Shut it princess"

Brooke folded her arms around her chest and raised an eyebrow "We are trying to help you here" she told him "You could at least say thank you"

Jake struggled to stand up on his own two feet and Peyton reluctantly let him lean onto her. "By taking me _here_?" he slurred in disbelief.

"Yeah well it's either here or to your house…and I am pretty sure that you wouldn't want your parents to see you like this" Brooke said in a cold voice and smirked when Jake didn't say anything.

"Let's just get him up these steps" Peyton sighed as she and Brooke helped him up the stairs to Lucas's apartment.

Brooke unlocked the door and her and Peyton helped Jake onto the couch. Jake instantly groaned and Brooke practically sprinted into the kitchen to get a bucket before passing it over to him, Jake immediately throwing up into in.

Peyton watched on with a disgusted expression on her face. She turned her head away from Jake and looked around Lucas's apartment. It was small and messy which was kind of expected of a 17 year old boy living alone. There were empty beer bottles on the kitchen counter and Peyton recognized some of Brooke's clothes draped over the arm chair which was placed diagonal to the couch Jake was sitting in the middle of throwing up. Peyton was interrupted from her thoughts when she saw a confused and tired looking Lucas appear from his bedroom in just what she assumed was old basketball shorts.

"What the fuck?" Lucas asked as he glanced at Peyton and then Jake who was wiping his mouth.

Brooke whipped around and looked at Lucas guiltily "Hi" she said with a small smile and a pout.

Lucas frowned "What are they doing here?" he asked annoyed. "And why the hell is that asshole in my apartment?"

"Baby-" Brooke started but got cut off by Peyton.

"We found him pretty much passed out at school and we didn't want to take him home since his parents would probably be there…" the blonde trailed.

Lucas scowled "So you brought him _here_?" he asked in disbelief.

"I don't want to be here just as much as you want me here man" Jake said from his place on the couch.

"So leave then!" Lucas spat.

"Luke he can barely walk…we had to practically drag him here" Brooke said in a calming tone. The last thing she wanted Peyton to see was Lucas going in one of his anger moods with Jake and literally throwing him out of the apartment. The curly blonde had enough reasons already to tell Brooke how Lucas wasn't good enough for her.

"What's he taken?" Lucas asked and Brooke sighed in relief glad that he wasn't going to throw him out…well not right away anyway.

"I don't know" Brooke said "Peyton found him"

Lucas looked across at Peyton with a glare and an expectant look "Well?"

Peyton returned his glare and answered "How the hell am I supposed to know…unlike the two of you, I am no drug expert" she hissed coldly.

"Peyt…come on" Brooke sighed. The last thing she wanted was for her boyfriend and best friend to get into a war of words.

Lucas however ignored her and turned to Jake "What you taken?" he asked sternly and Jake closed his eyes before answering.

"Just a few doses of coke" Jake answered "With some vodka"

Lucas sighed loudly and shook his head "How much is a few doses?"

"Four or five lines" Jake admitted. "One after the other"

"You're a fucking idiot" Lucas said in disbelief before looking up at Brooke "Could you make some coffee? Make sure it's strong" he ordered and Brooke nodded before walking towards the kitchen.

He looked back down at Jake "The more you throw up the better it will be for you later" he said before standing up and walking to the kitchen area where Brooke was in the middle of making coffee.

Brooke turned around and Lucas lightly let his fingers rest against her hips. "Will he be okay?" Brooke asked curiously.

Lucas nodded "He will be fine…he just needs to sleep it off"

Brooke raised an eyebrow "And we are giving him coffee?" she asked slightly amused.

Lucas let out a dry laugh "The coffee is to add fluid into his body…trust me…that's not what will be keeping him up tonight, that will be the banging headache; the headache that he deserves"

Brooke wrapped her arms around him and smiled "You know you didn't have to help him…you could have easily just threw him out of here without a seconds thought"

Lucas shrugged "He may be an ass…and I can honestly say that I can't stand the guy and I hate him for telling Nathan about us, but I couldn't really just leave him" he admitted.

Brooke smiled again and kissed him lightly on the lips "I'm proud of you"

Lucas let out a nervous laugh; nobody had ever said that to him before.

* * *

Peyton sighed as she sat on the arm chair and looked at Jake "So…Lucas seemed to know what he was doing"

Jake rubbed his head tiredly and nodded "It's not like it's the first time he has bailed me out of trouble…it's also not the first time he has had to deal with junkies" he said letting out a small laugh.

Peyton glanced over to the kitchen where Brooke and Lucas were standing, her brunette's friend hand's wrapped around the blonde's neck and Lucas had his hands around Brooke waist. They looked pretty cozy.

Jake followed Peyton's gaze and let out a dry laugh before turning back to Peyton "I for one never expected those two to get together"

"You and me both" Peyton muttered before looking at Jake curiously "Why did you tell Nathan?"

Jake shrugged "Dunno…I wanted revenge on Lucas and the opportunity came up and I took it" he said as if it was no big deal.

Peyton frowned "But that affected Brooke more than Lucas"

"Whatever…same difference" Jake muttered as he leant back against the couch and closed his eyes tight as his head was starting to feel the impact from the alcohol he had consumed.

* * *

Nathan groaned as he put his head in his hands "Algebra sucks!" he moaned as Haley rolled her eyes.

"Algebra doesn't suck…_you_ suck…at Algebra"

Nathan looked up and glared at her "That's a great way for a tutor to build up their students confidence" he muttered coldly and Haley again rolled her eyes.

"Please…your Nathan Scott, you're confident enough for the entire senior class!" Haley told him "And your ego is big enough too"

Nathan looked at her with an icy stare "Shut up…you don't know me"

Haley nodded "Your right…I don't know you" she said "But what I do know is that you're going to fail Math if you don't learn these equations!" She told him seriously.

Nathan groaned loudly and slammed his pen down in frustration "I don't see the point to this subject! It's not like I am going to need it when I leave this damn school"

Haley shrugged "Well you never know"

"Well unless Basketball becomes a mathematical sport in the next few years then I really don't need this" Nathan huffed.

Haley let out a small smile as something came into her head "Ok…so why don't we make that happen?"

Nathan looked up at her confused "What?" he asked completely baffled as to what she was going on about.

"Basketball" Haley said in a duh tone "Let's make you learn these equations as if you were learning a basketball tactic"

Nathan frowned and raised an eyebrow slightly "I don't think that's going to work" he told her not really liking the idea of this.

"Oh come on…be daring" Haley smiled "Let's just try it out" she said before taking his notebook from his hands and getting to work leaving Nathan curious as to how she was going to pull this off.

* * *

Brooke walked into Lucas's bedroom about an hour later to see him sitting on the edge smoking a cigarette. "Hey" she said with a smile as she sat down next to him and placed her hand on his thigh "What you hiding in here for?"

Lucas shrugged as he exhaled the smoke. "What's that Peyton girl still here for?" he asked.

"I don't know" Brooke admitted "I think she just wants to make sure Jake will be ok"

Lucas let out a dry laugh "Jake is going to be fine…he always is" he muttered coldly "I'm sick of having to look after him Brooke" he told her seriously "Even now, when were not even close to being friends…he is still here, passed out on my couch" he let out another bitter laugh "Why does it have to be me? I don't know how to look after anyone and yet I always have to make sure Jake will recover from his latest stunt"

Brooke sighed shaking her head "I don't know why, but that just shows what a great guy you are"

Lucas laughed bitterly as he put out his cig "I'm not. Don't do that Brooke…I hate it when you do that"

Brooke sighed loudly before standing up "You should get some rest…I will go back in there, make sure Jake hasn't threw up on the carpet yet…or on Peyton" she said as a little joke before leaving the room.

Lucas sighed loudly as he lay back down on his bed and shut his eyes tight hoping that things would go down well tonight.

* * *

"You ready Brooke?" Lucas asked hesitantly as he pulled his cap down further to cover his eyes and pulled his hood over his head.

Brooke nodded "Yeah…I'm ready" she answered with a deep breath before putting on her own hat and Lucas took her hand in a firm grip.

The two walked through the seedy bar unnoticed, it was dark and it wasn't that busy either which could be an advantage or even a disadvantage for them on some level. Lucas kept his hold on Brooke's hand tight as he led her towards the back of the bar where he knew Kevin would probably be.

"There he is" Brooke said as she motioned towards Kevin who was standing talking to some of his pals drinking beer and looking all smug.

Lucas sighed and turned around to face Brooke "Are you sure you want to do this with me? You can go…or wait in the car…" he trailed.

Brooke shook her head firmly "I want to be here for you"

"Alright" Lucas grumbled "But I can't guarantee that this will turn out in our favor"

Brooke shrugged lightly "I told you…I am going to be here for you"

Lucas let out a breath and pulled the gun out from his back pocket before hiding it by his side and approached the small group.

Kevin looked up annoyed to see who had interrupted and frowned confused when he saw that under the hood and cap was Lucas "Scott…I thought I told you not to come back here anymore" he said with a small smug look on his face.

Lucas glared angrily at him; it was because of him that Kevin was where he was now…and even though the jackass thought he had power…Lucas had more.

"Kevin" Lucas said with a smirk "I believe you owe me something"

Kevin placed his beer down on the table before stepping closer to Lucas "I believe that you should fuck right off and take your little hoe with you" he sneered as he motioned to Brooke before his eyes roamed her "She is hot though"

Brooke glared at him with an icy stare and Lucas clenched his jaw tight "Just give me what you owe me and I will be on my way"

Kevin shook his head and let out a chuckle "Get lost Lucas"

"Alright" Lucas said with a nod knowing that Kevin wasn't going to play fair. He lifted the gun up from his hide and Kevin immediately took a huge leap back as well as his friends. "I'm not joking around here Kevin! Just give me what you owe me!"

* * *

Peyton pulled up outside of Jake's house and sighed before turning to the brunette "I did you a huge favor today but that doesn't mean we are friends or even close ok?" she warned seriously.

Jake nodded "Trust me…I get that you helped me out and I am thankful for that but I don't want you in my life anymore than you want me in yours" he muttered agreeing.

"You should seriously lay off the drugs though" Peyton told him.

Jake looked at her with a weird expression "I can do what I want and when I want…you don't know shit about me so stop pretending that you do" he sneered angrily.

Peyton held her hands up in defense "I am just trying to help"

"Yeah well I think you have helped me enough for one lifetime, so you can go back to playing princess bitch and I will be on my merry way" he spat coldly before getting out of the car and slamming the door.

However Peyton wasn't finished with him yet as she too jumped out "You know what Jake! I pretty much saved your ass today! The least you could do is be a little bit grateful!" she shouted in disbelief.

Jake smirked "I already said I was thankful…what else do you want me to do? Bow down to your every want and need?" he asked sarcastically "That shit might happen with your jock friends but it doesn't work with me"

"You don't know anything about me!"

"Yeah and you don't know anything about me either so stay the hell out of my life and mind your own god damn business" Jake hissed coldly.

"Gladly!" Peyton shouted in fury before angrily getting back into her car and speeding away.

Jake chuckled to himself before making his way up the small steps to his house.

* * *

"Luke man…you don't need to do this…just…just put the gun down" Kevin said nervously and the fear was evident on his face.

Lucas smirked; he had him right where he wanted him. He turned back to Brooke with a grin on his face "Do you think I should listen to him, baby?"

Brooke smirked and shook her head "No…I don't"

Lucas took a step towards Kevin and kept the gun pointed firmly at him "Hand over the money that you owe me as well as a little interest and we shall call it even"

"Lucas…come on…we used to be pals"

Lucas let out a dry laugh "No Kevin…we never were…you ripped me off and you screwed me over and this is payback…so just give me the money and we will both walk away from this"

Kevin looked to the side to his so called friends who stood there fearfully. They shrugged at him also not knowing what to do. "You won't shoot me"

Lucas smirked as he waved the gun closer to his face "Are you sure about that? So sure? Would you be willing to bet your life on that comment?" he asked with a smug look on his face "This isn't a game Kevin"

Kevin looked at the gun with fear in his eyes before looking down for a moment before raising his eyes to look at Lucas "Alright…I will give you the money" he said in a scared tone as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a few hundred dollars before handing it over to Lucas.

Lucas handed it to Brooke who counted it and raised an eyebrow "I think you could give us a little more than that" she smirked "Call it compensation…for getting thugs to beat him up since your too much of a coward to do it yourself"

"Yeah" Lucas agreed grinning "Let's call it compensation"

Kevin sighed before pulling out some more notes and handing it to Lucas "Now you leave me alone, Lucas"

Lucas smirked as he took a step back and grabbed Brooke's hand, the gun still pointed towards them before he put it back in his back pocket and the two practically ran out of the bar leaving a very angry Kevin.

"Oh man!" Lucas said laughing loudly as he and Brooke got into his car.

Brooke laughed along and took her hat off "That was crazy!"

"I know!" Lucas said still laughing "I can't believe we pulled that off!" he chuckled as he pulled away from the car park outside the bar.

Brooke shook her head; a huge smile covered her face "The look on his face when you pulled the gun out on him"

"I know… it was classic" Lucas grinned "You did good tonight baby"

Brooke smiled as she looked down; she had never imagined herself doing anything like that before…she had seen it on movies that Nathan made her watch and she never really agreed with people using guns to get what they wanted. But Lucas was different…he would never ever use it to hurt anyone and he was only getting what he was owed, Kevin started that war and Lucas was only ending it, so she couldn't really blame her boyfriend for that…besides…she kind of liked the excitement of it all…living dangerously with Lucas by her side and taking chances. This was what she had always wanted. She was finally living her life the way she wanted to and not the way her parents expected her to live or the way she was expected too by being cheer captain or Nathan Scott's best friend.

Brooke smiled as she placed her hand on Lucas's thigh and he turned to face her for a couple of seconds with a boyish grin that made her heart melt. She ran her free hand through her hair and let out a sigh of relief "I love you Luke"

Lucas turned his head to the side a little surprised…it wasn't that they hadn't said it to each other before, they said it all the time…he just wasn't expecting it in that moment, but he looked back at the road ahead of him for a second before looking back at Brooke and he couldn't help let his smile widen "I love you too pretty girl" he replied before taking Brooke's hand from his thigh and entwining their fingers together before lifting them up and kissing her knuckles softly.

Brooke smiled as he winked at her before she leant her head against the side window of his car. They did good.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Remember what I said in the last chapter...You have to go down to come back up! (I don't know if that makes much sense to you guys but it does to me lol!)

**So, please review! I love reading what you all think! They always inspire me to write more! Thanks guys!**

**Sara x**


	12. Figure This Out

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: Please don't hate me! I know where I am going with this story so don't be too mad with some actions or characteristics that may surprise or even shock you all at the beginning of this chapter! It won't last long though. But I am sorry as I know that some of you won't like it lol! **

* * *

It had been nearly a week since that night where Lucas got his money back from Kevin and he and Brooke seemed stronger than ever especially since Brooke was starting to get more and more involved in his lifestyle. He was reluctant at first since he didn't really want Brooke to be a part of that world but that quickly changed when he noticed that Brooke seemed to be enjoying it.

Brooke passed the cigar wrap to Lucas before leaning back against the couch and closing her eyes tight before exhaling the smoke.

They were at a house party at some guys parent's beach house who they both knew…he was a senior at Tree Hill High which also meant that there would be students from their school there…however neither seemed to care.

Brooke once said that she would never ever touch drugs…even after meeting Lucas, but her life was starting to become more and more carefree and she was now enjoying smoking the odd wrap of weed with Lucas whenever he had any spare.

Brooke moaned quietly while her eyes remained shut. Lucas turned to the side and smirked at his girlfriend as his hand traveled further up her thigh. He leaned over and began to kiss her neck softly "You are so hot tonight baby" he mumbled against her skin before his kisses traveled towards her lips and he pecked her lightly "So…so sexy" he slurred.

Brooke giggled against his mouth and opened her eyes "You're killing me" she got out in between kisses "Slowly…and…slower"

"That doesn't even make sense" Lucas chuckled as he pulled her onto him so she was now straddling him, he placed his hand on the back of her head before kissing her hard on the lips.

Brooke moaned against his mouth before Lucas slipped his tongue inside of hers and pulled her closer to him so her body was pressed against his. His hands slid underneath her shirt but soon fell down when Brooke pulled away from him.

He opened his eyes slightly annoyed as he watched Brooke struggle to climb off of him in her drunken state. "What are you doing?" he asked confused.

Brooke stood up straight dizzily as she swayed from side to side before looking down at him "I need to go and pee" she told him with a giggle and Lucas shook his head with a small chuckle.

"Be quick baby" he laughed before slapping her ass. Brooke gasped and turned around before laughing loudly. She winked at him before stumbling towards the bathroom.

Lucas leant forward and picked up the discarded cigar wrap and placed it back in between his lips before lighting up again. He picked up his beer and leant back against the couch and closed his eyes shut.

* * *

Nathan watched on from the back of the room with a look of anger and disgust on his face as he watched Lucas slap Brooke's ass. It was obvious what Lucas was doing…he wanted to get back at him for whatever reason. It wasn't his fault that Lucas was so jealous of his life; if anyone should be getting back at someone then it should be him against Lucas for taking Brooke from him.

"Bastard" Nathan muttered under his breath as he finished the rest of the alcoholic substance his plastic cup contained before throwing it onto the floor.

"Look at him" Nathan turned his head to the side to see Peyton standing next to him with an annoyed expression "Sitting there all high and mighty" she spat angrily "I honestly don't know what Brooke see's in him"

"Me neither" Nathan muttered not even caring that this was the first conversation he and Peyton had had since the day in the clinic without them starting off throwing nasty comments to each other.

"I don't get what Brooke is playing at…I mean why is she getting involved in all that shit?" she asked with a shake of the head.

"Just wait until her parents get back into town…I am sure that they will sort her out" Nathan mumbled as he kept his eyes glued on Lucas. He knew the Davis's and the power that they had over the town and their daughter…Brooke couldn't stand to be in the same room as them, hell he couldn't either…but he did know that Brooke feared them…especially her mom.

"Yeah…I would love to see the look on Victoria's face when she see's who her daughter is dating" Peyton said with a small laugh "I guess that would be the only positive thing coming from their relationship" she smirked "Victoria's reaction"

"Nothing is positive about them" Nathan spat "I will give it another two weeks until Brooke gets bored of him"

"I'm not so sure" Peyton sighed "I don't know why…but she seems to really like him" she told him hesitantly.

"Nonsense" Nathan muttered annoyed "They are just playing with each other…like I said Peyton…two weeks"

Peyton let out a loud sigh before leaning her head against the wall "So what do we do until then?" she asked turning her head slightly to face her ex-boyfriend.

"Make sure that Luke-Ass doesn't drag her further into his pathetic web of a life" Nathan said sternly looking at Peyton and then glancing back at Lucas before standing straight and walking away.

* * *

"What the fuck are you doing with my best friend?"

Lucas's eyes shot up surprised and jumped a little when he saw Peyton sitting on the table directly in front of him; glaring heavily at him.

"Huh?" he asked with a slight slur not sure what she was talking about.

"I said, what are you doing with my best friend?" she asked angrily as she looked at him with disgust.

"Nothing" Lucas said with a smirk "She is my girlfriend…we were just making out"

"No…you're taking advantage of her! She's drunk! Hell she is high! You fucking idiot! Brooke had never touched drugs in her life before she met you!" Peyton shouted coldly "You're destroying her life!"

Lucas chuckled "I ain't making her do anything she doesn't want to do"

"No but your pretty much influencing her into it! What the hell is wrong with you? Is this all to get back at Nathan? Because if it is then it's not working so just back off and leave her alone!"

"Hey!" Lucas snapped angrily "I love Brooke and I hate Nathan…there is no way in hell I would even think about using her to get back at that jackass"

"Well if you love her then why the hell are you letting her ruin her life?" Peyton asked coldly "Lucas she has barely been to school for the last week and she hasn't turned up to _one _single cheer practice…not _one_" she hissed "Cheerleading is her life and you would know that if you stopped being so damn selfish and let her live her own life instead of dragging her into your pathetic excuse of a one!"

Lucas glared at her in anger "I am her life now Peyton…so why don't you just back the hell off? Brooke doesn't need you anymore…she has me"

Peyton scoffed and let out a dry laugh "Yeah because you are doing a fantastic job of taking care of her aren't you? I mean where is she now? Probably throwing her guts out in some stranger's bathroom!"

"Don't tell me that I am not looking after her because you don't know shit!" Lucas snapped defensively. He was looking after Brooke…he was! "She's happy with me"

"Yeah" Peyton said with a nod and Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise "She is happy with you…for now"

Lucas groaned and put his head in his hands, he couldn't be bothered with this but before he could get the chance to tell her that Peyton continued.

"Brooke is going through a phase right now Lucas…I know her…she's rebelling for a little while" Peyton said and smiled smugly at the annoyed expression on Lucas's face "But that's okay…she can have her fun and be daring with you but she is Brooke Davis, she will get bored with your ass soon enough and then she will be running back to me and Nathan"

"Fuck off Peyton…you are talking out of your fat little ass" Lucas hissed angrily.

Peyton stood up and smirked "Just wait Lucas…just you wait" she said before sending him a fake sweet smile and began walking away.

"Bitch" Lucas muttered under his breath before taking a large swig from his beer.

* * *

"Oops!" Brooke giggled as she accidently dropped her plastic cup onto the floor.

Haley slowly approached the brunette and eyed her appearance. She could tell she was drunk but she could also tell that she had taken something other than alcohol "Are you okay Brooke?"

"I'm fine!" Brooke said squinting her eyes as she looked at Haley confused "Do I know you?"

Haley was opened her mouth to answer but Brooke beat her too it and cut her off.

"Oh! Your Peyton's new little friend aren't you?" She asked with a smile before wrapped her arm around her shoulder and leaning her face towards Haley "What's your name again?"

"It's Haley" Haley answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Haley? Hmm" Brooke slurred as she placed her finger on her chin "I don't like that name"

"Oh…well…thanks" Haley mumbled not really sure of what to say.

"Why don't we call you…Brooke!"

"Brooke?" Haley asked reluctantly "Why don't you just call me _Haley_?"

Brooke sighed loudly "Haley is a boring name, Brooke!"

Haley shook her head "Where is your boyfriend?"

"My boyfriend?" Brooke asked with grin "My sexy hot boyfriend?"

"Yes" Haley sighed as she helped Brooke down the stairs "His name is-"

"Lucas!" Brooke smiled excitedly

"Yes…Lucas" Haley said with a small laugh.

"No! There's Lucas!" Brooke giggled as Lucas approached them "Hi sexy!" she smirked as she unwrapped her arm from Haley and leaped into Lucas's arms.

"Hey baby" Lucas smirked before leaning down and kissing her softly, he pulled away and looked at Haley suspiciously. He had what Peyton was saying to him going over and over in his head and he hoped that this Haley girl wouldn't be filling the same crap in his girlfriend's head.

"I just helped her down the stairs…" Haley trailed feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. She had heard of Lucas Scott's reputation and from what she knew it was not good.

"Right" Lucas said with a nod "Well…I am here now so your help isn't needed" he said with a sharp tone and Haley frowned at him.

"Ok…well…bye" she mumbled as she took a step back.

"Bye Brooke!" Brooke smirked as she waved at the blonde "Bye!" she repeated until Haley was out of her sight.

Lucas looked down at his girlfriend and brushed some of her hair behind her ear "Come on…Skill's is going to give us a ride back to my place"

Brooke pouted "But I don't want to go home!"

"I know" Lucas said as he wrapped his arm around Brooke's waist and led her towards the front of the house "But you're drunk and slightly high so I need to take you home"

"But I wanna stay!" Brooke moaned.

"I know baby, but think about the fun we will have when we get back to my place" he said seductively and Brooke looked up at him with a smirk "I like the way you think boyfriend" she said with a wide smile.

"I thought you would" Lucas grinned "Come on…let's get out of here" he finished as they approached the door but he caught Peyton's eye on the way out and smirked and winked at her. He wasn't going to let her fill his head with crap…it wasn't going to work.

* * *

Brooke awoke the next morning with a pounding headache; she turned her head to the side to see Lucas still asleep next to her. She slowly sat up…her hand placed on her forehead and cringed as a rush of pain shot through her, but that wasn't the only thing; she suddenly felt a wave of nausea run through her and she immediately ran out of the bedroom and into the bathroom before throwing up whatever she ate last night into the toilet.

"Fuck" Brooke muttered to herself as she sat against the side if the bathtub. Before she could even take a minute to breath she was already vomiting again.

Lucas cringed as he walked into the bathroom and knelt down behind his girlfriend and pulled her hair back "You okay?" he asked softly and Brooke nodded before wiping her mouth. "Just a little sick" she answered with a small smile.

Lucas sighed as he rubbed the back of his head "I shouldn't have let you smoke that weed last night" he confessed guiltily.

"It's not your fault baby" Brooke told him reassuringly "I wanted to have fun…and we did have fun. It was a good night"

"Yeah" Lucas agreed "It was a good night…but obviously a not so good morning and I can't help but feel responsible for that"

Brooke let out a small laugh "I can handle it…I _have_ been hung-over before you know, Lucas" she laughed at his worries and placed her hand on his cheek gently "Don't worry about it"

"I know…I just…" Lucas trailed. Peyton's words from the night before going over and over in his head. Was he really destroying her life?

"Just what?" Brooke asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side.

Lucas opened his mouth to say something but he struggled to find the right words. "You know what…it doesn't matter" he said with a smile.

Brooke raised her eyebrow slightly "Are you sure?"

"Yes" Lucas answered confidently as he nodded his head before standing up and pulling her up with him "How about we skip school today and just spend the day being lazy and stay in bed all day" he asked with a smirk.

Brooke smiled widely "Sounds good to me"

* * *

Lucas stood in just his boxer shorts making lunch a few hours lately when Brooke came out of the bathroom in just his shirt after throwing up yet again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucas asked concerned as he turned around to see Brooke sit tiredly at the table.

"Yeah" Brooke answered quietly "Maybe I should take it more easy next time, huh?" she said lightly and gave him a smile.

Lucas looked at her guiltily "I never wanted you to be a part of that side of my life…you know that right?"

Brooke let out a small laugh "Lucas, I am a big girl…I can make my own decisions"

"Yeah" Lucas mumbled agreeing "I know" he told her before deciding to change the subject "So I made us some toast if you're hungry?" he asked.

Brooke cringed at the idea of just eating "Uh…no thanks…I don't think my stomach would be able to handle it" she admitted.

"Well what about some coffee?" Lucas asked hoping that she would at least have something to drink.

Brooke again cringed at the thought and shook her head "Its fine Luke…I'm not even hungry and even just the thought of eating anything makes me feel like throwing up again"

"Well then I better go and eat this on the couch" Lucas smiled motioning to his toast before walking towards the living area and turning on the TV.

Brooke watched and sighed quietly, she rubbed her stomach soothingly before closing her eyes.

* * *

"Wow Peyton you sure have a lot of records" Haley commented with a laugh as she looked through Peyton's music collection.

Peyton smiled from her place at her computer desk "Yeah…I love music"

"I can see that" Haley joked before turning to the blonde "So are you excited about all ages night at Tric tomorrow?"

"Yeah" Peyton smiled "Excited and really nervous…I just want things to go well and be successful"

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine" Haley said reassuringly.

"So…" Peyton started before changing the subject "I hear you are Nathan Scott's new tutor"

Haley groaned "Oh please…don't remind me!"

"What? That bad?" Peyton asked feeling sorry for her new friend. She should know what it was like to put up with Nathan Scott, hell she had for two years and it was _not_ good.

"Let's just say his concentration level isn't exactly as good for schoolwork as it is for basketball" Haley sighed as she sat down on the bed.

"Yeah…and for his relationships" Peyton joked before changing her tone to seriousness "I hope he isn't being an ass"

"It's nothing I can't handle" Haley told her "He has a big ego but I think he is starting to understand how important his grades are"

"That or Dan is shoving another stick up his ass" Peyton laughed. Haley laughed lightly too but they both stopped when they saw Brooke appear at the door.

"Brooke" Peyton said with a small smile and slightly confused "What are you doing here?"

Brooke looked in between Haley and Peyton nervously before taking a step back "Your busy…it's okay…I will come back later" she mumbled before turning around and making a swift exist.

Peyton glanced at Haley who shrugged before she quickly jumped up and followed her best friend downstairs "Brooke, wait up!" she called.

Brooke stopped just as she was about to reach the front door and turned around, a fake smile plastered on her face "It's fine Peyton; really…I will come back another time."

"Brooke…don't be stupid" Peyton said with a small laugh "Come up and join us…we can…hang out" she suggested but then realized how lame that sounded.

"No…really…its fine" Brooke told her with a nervous laugh "I shouldn't have even come here"

Peyton frowned confused and then her facial expression turned to concern when she took in Brooke's appearance. She looked tired and pale and slightly scared and she swore to god that she would kill Lucas if he has hurt her. "What's wrong Brooke?" she asked worriedly as she took a step closer to the brunette and placed her hand on her arm comfortingly.

Brooke turned her head away as tears glistened in her eyes. "Brooke…" Peyton said again softly "What's wrong?" she asked again "Has Lucas done something to hurt you?"

Brooke shook her head and recoiled from Peyton's touch. Typical…she thought…she gets upset and Peyton immediately thinks that Lucas has hurt her. "No…it's not Lucas" she hissed coldly.

Peyton sighed realizing her mistake and looked at Brooke with worry "Well then what's wrong? Something is obviously bothering you Brooke…please…just tell me"

Brooke took a shaky breath as she looked at Peyton who really did look concerned. She looked down at the floor before mumbling something that Peyton couldn't understand. "What?" the blonde asked confused not hearing what she had said.

Brooke looked up, the fear clear on her face "I think…I think I am pregnant"

* * *

Lucas laughed loudly at Skill's lame attempt to make an excuse for missing the perfect free throw as he and the Rivercourt boys played a game of 2 vs. 2. Lucas and Skills vs. Junk and Fergie, and even though they were winning…Skill's had missed the perfect free throw and Lucas couldn't help but tease him about it.

"Dawg come on! Mouth was distracting me!" Skills accused as he pointed to an innocent Mouth who was commentating the game.

"Don't put this on me Skills" Mouth laughed "That was a terrible shot"

"The whole game is terrible"

The five boys turned around to see Nathan approach them with a couple of guys from the basketball team. "You call that basketball? I have seen two year olds play better than that" Nathan spat coldly.

"Look dawg…we don't want no trouble-" Skills started but Nathan cut him off.

"What thinks we are here to cause trouble?" Nathan asked with a smirk as he turned to his teammates "We are just here for a friendly game of basketball…right boys?"

"That's right" Tim replied "We want to challenge you losers all to a game" he told them excitedly.

Lucas rolled his eyes, knowing that this wasn't about the rivercourt boys but that it was about him and him only.

"We ain't playing you" Skills answered confidently.

"Why not? Scared?" Tim asked with a smirk plastered on his face.

Skills shook his head "No…but we don't play with jackasses like you lot"

Tim glared at him and was about to say something but Nathan cut him off "Do your boyfriends not speak?" he challenged "What are they? Muted?"

Nobody answered him as both group of boys stood their ground, both refusing not to move.

"I think they are scared" One of the guys from the team said and the others agreed with him.

"Come on losers…there are five of us and five of you…I say we play to win!" Tim challenged.

"Actually…I don't play" Mouth told them speaking for the first time.

"Figures" Nathan muttered coldly "I always pegged you down for a wimp-ass nerd"

"Hey!" Lucas cut in sharply and Nathan smiled smugly.

"Finally…the bastard speaks" he chuckled. Lucas stood his ground firmly, determined not to let Nathan's words get to him. "How about we settle this on the court?" the brunette Scott challenged. "My boys against yours"

"First thing, they aren't my boys and second if you want to get your ass kicked by me so badly then why bring _your boys _into this?" he mocked with a smirk and Nathan glared heavily at him "If you are so determined to do this then let's make it one on one"

Nathan chuckled and turned to his pals "Have you heard this loser? I think he actually believes that he stands a chance against _me_" he laughed.

Lucas glared at him "That's because I do" he replied with confidence "If you want to play behind your bitches then that's fine…four on four it can be. But if you really want a challenge then don't drag them into this and leave it as me vs. you"

Nathan clenched his jaw as he struggled to make up his mind on what to do, looked at Tim who shrugged before turning back to Lucas "Fine…if you really want to get your ass kicked by me"

Lucas chuckled and shook his head "I wouldn't be too cocky if I were you"

"Whatever loser" Nathan hissed "But let's make things interesting" Lucas raised his eyebrows…always up for a challenge as he waited for Nathan to continue. "If you win…then I will back off from you and your little buddies and stay out of your life"

"And if you win?" Lucas asked curiously.

"You leave Brooke alone"

Lucas let out a dry laugh "No way" he answered seriously. "Not a chance in hell, Nathan"

"You do what I say!" Nathan shouted angrily causing everyone else to flinch and Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise at his outburst. "I am Nathan Scott and around here, what I say goes!"

"Yeah…well…_Nathan Scott_…I have dealt with bigger assholes than you so if you want a war then bring it on" Lucas challenged.

Nathan was fuming now…nobody had ever challenged him the way Lucas did and he couldn't believe that this bastard thought he had the right to do so "You don't want to mess with me Lucas…I am warning you"

Lucas smirked "Like I said before…_little brother_" he chuckled at his choice of words as he saw Nathan's nostrils flare with anger "Bring…it…on"

Nathan grunted in anger "Let's get the fuck out of here boys…they aren't worth are time". His teammates looked disappointed that there wouldn't be a game between the two estranged brothers or at least a fight or another argument but they weren't ones to go against their captain and reluctantly walked away but Nathan soon turned it around and glared heavily at Lucas "You better watch your back, loser!" he said threateningly before turning back around and continued walking.

Lucas smirked at him but didn't say anything else as he and the rest of the rivercourt boys watched the 'jocks' walk away.

* * *

Peyton stood back in shock at Brooke's revelation. "Uh…I…Have you took a test?" she stuttered. Scared for her best friend.

Brooke nodded somberly "Yes" she got out but motioned to her handbag "I haven't looked at it yet though" she admitted nervously.

Peyton sighed and took Brooke's hand in hers and walked her into the living room before the two sat down on the couch. "Does Lucas know about this?" she asked.

Brooke shook her head "No…he doesn't know a thing" she admitted "Heck, I didn't even know a thing until a couple of hours ago"

"You know that I'm not his biggest fan, but uh…don't you think you should talk to him about this?" Peyton asked softly.

"Yes" Brooke squeaked and took in a breath "I am just scared too…I mean…I don't think he would like the idea"

Peyton nodded before reaching over and picking up Brooke's bag. "Well first you need to find out if you actually _are_ pregnant…so…you are going to look at the test and if its positive then the two of us are going to go to the doctors, okay?"

Brooke nodded nervously "Okay" she got out nervously "Can you look for me?" she asked fearfully.

"Brooke-" Peyton started skeptically.

"Please" Brooke begged "I don't think I can do it"

"Fine" Peyton sighed as she nervously pulled the pregnancy test from the bag and opened it slowly. She looked at Brooke once more who was biting her nails before pulling the test from the bag.

"Well?" Brooke asked anxiously.

Peyton looked up at the brunette sadly "Brooke…"

"Oh god" Brooke gasped as a sob escaped from her lips "I'm pregnant" she sobbed.

"Brooke" Peyton sighed sympathetically before pulling her best friend in for a hug "It's going to be okay, alright? I promise" she said comfortingly into the brunette's ear.

* * *

The rivercourt boys looked at Lucas in astonishment at what had just happened. Lucas turned around and looked at them strangely. "What?"

"What?" Mouth asked in disbelief "Dude, you just stood up to Nathan Scott!"

Lucas frowned "So…"

"So? Luke man, it's Nathan Scott!" Junk said with wide eyes joining in the conversation.

"Yeah and I don't care who he is…no punk tells me what I can and can't do" Lucas said shaking his head "You guys should learn not to let assholes like him walk all over you"

"Dawg that's easier said than done…those guys rule the school" Skills said shaking his head "If we had of done what you just did…man…our asses would be in that river by now" he chuckled but he was also serious.

"He may think he rules the school but he doesn't rule you guys…don't let him think that he has power over you or he will just come back for more" Lucas told them seriously "And who the fuck did he think he was when he told me to walk away from Brooke!"

Fergie shrugged "You sure have some guts man!"

Lucas chuckled lightly before taking the basketball from Skills "Enough about those assholes…whoever wins this game wins all" he smirked before they walked back onto the court.

* * *

Brooke and Peyton sat nervously in the hospital as they waited for Brooke's appointment.

Brooke stared down at her hands which were linked in with Peyton's before turning to the blonde "How scared were you when you found out you were pregnant?" she asked quietly.

Peyton closed her eyes sadly thinking about that time "Terrified" she answered honestly "I don't think I have ever felt so vulnerable in my life…and I had to deal with Nathan too"

"I'm sorry" Brooke told her softly as she brushed some of her own hair behind her ear.

Peyton looked at her confused "Sorry for what?"

"For not being there for you…like you are here for me now" Brooke told her in an apologetic tone "I wish I could have helped you through it"

"Its fine Brooke…it wasn't your fault. You weren't to know" Peyton said giving her a small smile.

"Miss Brooke Davis?" the receptionist called out and Brooke and Peyton stood up nervously.

"You ready for this B.Davis?" Peyton asked comfortingly.

Brooke took in a shaky breath "As ready as I will ever be P.Sawyer" she said in a brave voice before the two followed the nurse into the room.

* * *

They sat patiently as the doctor took the tests and they both waited nervously in the room for the results.

"I don't think I can wait much longer" Brooke mumbled and Peyton looked at her sympathetically "They shouldn't be too much longer" the blonde replied reassuringly.

The two looked up anxiously as the doctor walked into the room and gave them a tight smile.

"Well?" Brooke asked impatiently. She glanced at Peyton nervously and Peyton gave her a reassuring nod before they turned back to the doctor.

"l have the results back, Miss Davis" The doctor said as she looked down at her notes. She looked back up to the brunette and gave her a small smile "And you are definitely pregnant" she told them before leaving the room to give the two girls their space.

Brooke snapped her head towards Peyton in horror and Peyton looked just as shocked. It didn't matter that they had took the test which revealed positive…it made it even more real hearing it from the doctor. Peyton squeezed Brooke's hand tightly but she could see the tears already forming in her best friends eyes.

"Peyt" she got out in a quiet and scared voice "What am I going to do?" she asked before a sob escaped from her lips.

"I…" Peyton started nervously but she had been in this position before and she knew that there were no words that would make her friend feel better. "Brooke" she said softly before wrapping her arms around the brunette "We will figure this out okay" she said reassuringly and she felt Brooke nod into her shoulder.

Peyton sighed loudly as she rubbed her hand on Brooke's back soothingly in circles. She just hoped everything would turn out okay…for Brooke's sake.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well? You like it? Yes? No? Please review and tell me! More reviews equals faster updates!

**And thanks again to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! It means a lot!**

**Thanks again guys!**

**Sara x**


	13. No Worries

**

* * *

**

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: Hey guys. Just to let those who read my story One Last Kiss...I am a little over half way through the next chapter so hopefully it will be finished and posted by tomorrow night or hopefully Tuesday morning at the latest since I am going away for 1 week on Tuesday afternoon. **

* * *

Lucas placed the two mugs of coffee on the table and sat down, placing his hand on Brooke's thigh. "You okay?" he asked softly "You were quiet last night and you have barely spoken a word this morning" he said worriedly.

Brooke shook her head and forced a smile "I'm fine" she told him reassuringly "I am just tired, that's all"

"You sure?" Lucas asked not so sure himself if that was just it.

"Yeah" Brooke smiled "I'm fine" she told him firmly before leaning forward and pecking him softly on the lips before turning back to her coffee which she knew she couldn't drink.

"So…" Lucas started as he took a bite from his toast "We still going to that all ages thing at Tric tonight?" he asked.

Brooke nodded "Yeah, I don't see why not" she answered "Peyton is expecting me to be there too…"

"You know" Lucas began before taking a sip from his coffee "As much as I can't stand Peyton…I'm glad that she hasn't totally shut you from her life" he admitted.

Brooke smiled and looked down "Me too" she agreed "We have been there a lot for each other while growing up" she said just thinking about the night before when the blonde was supportive over her finding out she was pregnant "I'm not asking the two of you to get along but could you at least try and be civil to her tonight?"

Lucas sighed loudly "Baby, you know that I would do anything for you" he said seriously "But it's not me you should be asking…Peyton is the one who fires the bitchy comments and the nasty remarks, I just retaliate"

"I know" Brooke told him "And I will talk to her" she said standing up "But now I better head to school…I have a morning cheer practice"

Lucas groaned "Why don't you just skip it and spend another hour with me?" he asked with a smirk as he pulled her onto his lap.

Brooke laughed but shook her head "Sorry Broody…but I have missed practice all week and Whitey is starting to notice. Besides, I am captain…I can't keep leaving Peyton to pick up my slack" she told him apologetically as she kissed him softly before standing up "I will see you at school?" she asked picking up her gym bag.

Lucas shook his head "Nah…I'm going to skip today. I have some stuff to do"

Brooke raised her eyebrow curiously "What kind of stuff?" she asked suspiciously.

Lucas shrugged "I just have some shit to sell…don't worry…I won't be bringing any to Tric tonight"

"Ok" Brooke nodded "I will see you later" she finished before quickly leaving his apartment.

Lucas watched her suspiciously; she had been acting weird and quiet all morning and she went to bed early last night without saying much. Maybe she _was_ just tired like she said or maybe Peyton had been filling her head with shit about him. He hoped it wasn't the latter.

* * *

Brooke walked into the gym a little late and placed her gym bag onto the bleachers…some of the girls were stretching but most were just standing around gossiping and she couldn't help but wonder if this was what they had been doing for the past four weeks since she hasn't really been to many.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to make an appearance" Brooke sighed and turned around to see the feisty red head looking at her expectantly. Her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised.

"Not now Rachel" Brooke muttered not in the mood to deal with her today. She had too many things running through her head, Rachel Gatina was the last thing she needed added to the list.

"You know…you are _so_ lucky that I haven't taken the squad away from you…_yet_" Rachel smirked. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"If you really wanted to take my place as captain then I am sure you would have done it by now, Rachel" and it was true. She was actually surprised that Rachel hadn't somehow convinced Whitey to let her become the new captain of the ravens.

"Yeah well I sort of owed you for spilling to Jake about you and your boy toy…but my generosity only stretches so far, Brooke. One more week of slacking and I am going to Whitey" Rachel told her seriously and Brooke nodded along. She knew that Rachel was right…but she didn't know if she could keep up with all the practices and dedication that was needed from her, especially not now.

She watched Rachel walk back over to the rest of the girls and she didn't even get a chance to regain her composure before Peyton was standing in front of her. "Are you okay?" the blonde asked worriedly.

Brooke shrugged "Yeah, I guess so" she mumbled "I just don't know what to do"

"Have you told Lucas yet?" Peyton asked.

Brooke shook her head "No" she said nervously "I'm scared to"

"What? You think he won't be happy?"

"I think he will be freaked out" Brooke admitted as she glanced over at the cheerleaders to make sure they weren't listening "Peyt, Lucas won't want a baby…he hates responsibility"

"Are you planning on keeping it?" Peyton asked; her voice full of concern.

Brooke nodded "I can't get rid of it Peyton…and I am not judging you but I wouldn't be able to go through with it" she told her nervously as she shook her head "I don't want to kill my baby"

"I understand" Peyton agreed "But, do you want a baby, Brooke?" she asked seriously "Can you honestly say that you want to be a mother right now?"

Brooke shook her head "Of course not" she admitted "I am 17 years old. A junior in high school and I don't exactly have the best home life" she sighed "But this baby is still mine Peyton…it doesn't matter if I'm ready or not for it or even if I want it"

"God Brooke…come here" Peyton mumbled unsure of what else to say as she pulled her in for a hug. "Remember what I said…I am here for you"

"I know" Brooke said as she pulled away and forced a smile "Thank you Peyton"

* * *

Nathan jumped out of his car quickly before speed walking through the car park. Headphones placed in his eyes and rap and hip hop music blaring out from them. He wasn't looking where he was going which was why he went crashing straight into some guy he didn't recognize.

"Watch it man!" Nathan spat coldly as he eyed the guy suspiciously. He had very short blonde hair…a little smaller than him, he had tattoos placed all over his arms and sunglasses covered his eyes. He looked rough but Nathan wasn't scared of him.

"You watch it man" the guy mumbled.

Nathan looked at the guy curiously "How come I have never seen you here before?"

"That's because I don't come here" he grumbled "I'm just looking for some little bitch"

Nathan raised his eyebrow "A little bitch huh?" he asked amused "What's his name…I might know him"

The guy eyed Nathan up and down and shook his head "I doubt you would…he's not the type of guy that hangs round with guys like you"

"Guys like me?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Jocks" the guy answered simply with a shrug.

"Just tell me his name…I might know where he is"

"Lucas…Lucas Scott" The guy told him in a cold tone.

Nathan widened his eyes and surprise. "You know him?" the blonde asked curiously seeing the expression on his face.

"Yeah" Nathan said letting out a laugh "I know him…and your right…he is a little bitch" he said "Hey…what's your name?" Nathan asked curiously.

"Kevin" the guy replied "Kevin Potter"

Nathan smirked as he shook the guys hand "Nice to meet you Kevin Potter…I'm Nathan"

* * *

Brooke and Peyton walked into the cafeteria at lunch time and walked over to Haley who was sitting at a table by herself eating lunch.

"Hey guys" Haley smiled as she saw them approaching.

"Hey Hales" Peyton smiled back as she and Brooke took a seat across from her.

"You not having any lunch today Brooke?" Haley asked curiously as she noticed that Brooke hadn't bought anything from the cafeteria.

"Uh…I have already eaten today" Brooke lied as she side glanced at Peyton nervously. The truth was that she couldn't stomach eating anything…just the thought of eating something made her feel like she was about to vomit and sitting in the smelly school cafeteria wasn't exactly helping her nausea.

"Oh yeah, Hales, I haven't had a chance to apologize last night…we kind of made a swift exit" Peyton said with a small laugh. When Brooke told her she might be pregnant, the two just quickly left the house with Peyton only leaving a text for Haley to say they had gone.

"Oh its okay" Haley smiled understanding "Was everything okay though?" she asked curiously.

Peyton glanced at Brooke who didn't even seem to be listening to the conversation so she turned back to her newest friend "Yeah…just a little drama that's all" she said with a smile.

Haley nodded, deciding not to push the subject, she did notice that Brooke had barely spoken a word since they got here and she just seemed to be playing with her cell phone. "You okay Brooke?" she asked curiously. Brooke didn't hear her as she continued to sit there, her mind elsewhere.

"Brooke" Peyton said this time as she nudged the brunette.

"Huh?" Brooke asked confused snapping her head towards the two girls "Sorry…I was a million miles away" she apologized.

"That's okay" Haley smiled "I was just asking if everything was okay…you look a little spaced out"

Brooke was about to answer but the ringing of her cell interrupted. She glanced down and looked up at Peyton "It's Lucas" she said quietly before standing up and walking out of the cafeteria. Glad to get some space and fresh air.

"Is she okay?" Haley asked seriously "Has she had a fight with Lucas or something?"

Peyton shook her head "She is just going through some stuff right now…she should be fine though"

* * *

Nathan met Kevin in the school car park at lunch and looked around to make sure that nobody was watching. "Lucas isn't in school today" he told them and Kevin immediately grunted with frustration.

"Great" he muttered "Do you know where he might be?" he asked curiously.

"No idea man" Nathan told him honestly before looking around once more "Why don't we get out of here? Talk somewhere more private?" he asked. The last thing he needed was Brooke or someone recognizing this Kevin guy and getting suspicious.

"Alright" Kevin sighed as he opened his car door and jumped in "Come on" he ordered and Nathan followed his lead and jumped into the passenger seat and they drove out of the school grounds.

* * *

"Hey Luke" Brooke answered with a weak smile as she leant against the wall in the quad.

"**Hey Pretty Girl" Lucas smiled from the other end as he drove towards the school car park "I just thought you might want to grab some lunch with me" **

"What? Now?" Brooke asked hesitantly.

"**Well it is dinner time babe" Lucas chuckled as he parked his car "I'm in the car park now" **

"Um…okay" Brooke mumbled into her cell before shutting it and walking towards his car slowly.

"Hey baby girl" Lucas smirked as Brooke stepped into the car. He leant over and kissed her softly but frowned confused when he realized Brooke wasn't into the kiss as much as he was. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as he pulled away.

"I'm fine" Brooke answered weakly "I just feel a little sick, that's all"

"You sure?" Lucas asked again "You have been acting strange since last night…are you sure everything is alright?"

"Everything is fine Luke. Geez, stop worrying so much" Brooke told him with a fake smile as she patted his leg.

"Alright" Lucas sighed giving in "So where do you want to go for lunch? It's my treat"

"Actually…I have already eaten" Brooke lied.

"Oh…okay" Lucas mumbled "Well can I tempt you for desert? I will buy you some chocolate cake" he smirked. "I know you love it"

Just the thought of eating chocolate cake made Brooke want to vomit. "Um…actually…you know what…I have to go and see Peyton…its important" she stuttered as she opened the door "See you tonight!" she said with a smile before slamming the door and practically ran away from the car.

"Brooke!" Lucas shouted after her but she didn't stop. "What the fuck" he muttered to himself confused. He was seriously wondering what the hell was bothering her now…had he done something to piss her off?

* * *

"Do you know where Lucas lives?" Kevin asked curiously as he and Nathan sat in a local café.

Nathan shook his head "No…but I could find someone who does" he told him "Why do you want to get back at him so much anyway?" the brunette asked curiously.

"Payback" Kevin replied "The guy held a gun to my head a week ago"

Nathan's eyes widened in shock "A gun? Are you serious?"

"Deadly man" Kevin told him "He is an ass…he needs to get what's coming to him"

"Yeah I agree with you on that one" Nathan mumbled into his drink and wondered if Brooke knew that Lucas had been using guns. Surely his former best friend wouldn't allow that?

"Lucas is a hard man to track down" Kevin muttered shaking his head "He isn't around at the parties and bars as much as he used to be"

"Yeah…his girlfriend probably has something to do with that" Nathan spat coldly.

Kevin raised his eyebrow "You sound bitter about that"

Nathan shook his head "It's a long story" he told him trying not to talk about Brooke. "So uh…I do know somewhere where Lucas might be tonight" he smirked.

"Oh yeah? And where's that?" Kevin asked curiously.

"A friend of his girlfriend is hosting an all ages night at that club Tric, down town?"

"Yeah I know where it is" Kevin said and motioned for Nathan to continue.

"I am about ninety percent sure that he will be there" Nathan told him with a smug grin on his face "And I bet your ass that he won't be carrying no guns"

"Good" Kevin smirked as he took a sip from his coffee "Because payback is a bitch and Lucas Scott is going to find out that it's even worse when he messes with me"

Nathan chuckled "Cheers" he grinned as he slammed his glass against Kevin's mug.

* * *

"Lucas knows something is up" Brooke said nervously as she paced up and down in front of the bar at Tric. She was there helping Peyton set up for tonight.

"How do you know?" Peyton asked as she continued to stock the bar.

"Because he keeps asking if I'm okay…and at lunch I freaked out on him and ran out of his car, then when he asked me to come over to his apartment after school I stalled on him and told him I was coming here to help you out instead" Brooke said starting to panic "He isn't stupid…he knows that something is going on"

"Well then maybe you should tell him" Peyton suggested.

Brooke immediately shook her head "No…I can't…at least not yet. I'm not ready Peyton…I need to get my head around this myself first" she said nervously.

"I know that but…" she started and let out a small laugh "I can't believe I am going to say this but he _is_ the father, Brooke…and your boyfriend. You are going to have to let him in on this at some point."

"I know that" Brooke muttered annoyed "Just not today"

"Well then what about tomorrow?" Peyton asked amused however Brooke didn't find her very funny.

"Please not now Peyton!" she snapped as she glared at the curly haired blonde.

Peyton held up her hands in defense "Alright…but like you said…he already knows something is up and the longer you leave it the harder it's going to be" she finished before walking into the back leaving Brooke alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Lucas sat bored in his apartment, basketball in his hands as he lay on his couch throwing it into the air before catching it again. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with Brooke and every time he asked her she just brushed him off like he was overreacting. Well he wasn't overreacting and he was sick of his girlfriend treating him like an idiot.

He jumped slightly when he heard his door open and he sat up to see Brooke enter the apartment. His jaw dropped…she looked…amazing. She was wearing a red strapless dress that ended above her knees, her brown hair was flowing down a little past her shoulders in light wavy curls and she had her makeup figured out perfectly.

"Wow" Lucas breathed out and Brooke smirked at his reaction "You look…amazing" he stuttered as he walked towards her and placed his hands on her waist.

"Well, I try" Brooke giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck "I'm sorry for acting weird" she said quietly "I…I…it's just" she stumbled on her words trying to find an excuse to give him "It's just…school…and cheering…it's all building up"

Lucas nodded and placed his hand on her cheek gently "I just wish you would talk to me about it" he admitted softly "I hate it when you shut me out"

"I know" Brooke mumbled quietly "And I'm sorry…I guess I'm just not used to letting guys in and I know that we have been together for nearly six months now but it's still hard" and that was the truth…she did find it hard letting people in.

Lucas leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips "You can trust me…you know that"

"I know" Brooke smiled as she kissed him again before pulling away and taking in his appearance "You seriously can't be thinking about going to Tric dressed like that can you?" she asked amused as she looked at what he had on. He was wearing some old grey sweat pants and a black wife beater.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head "No" he told her "I just wasn't sure if we were still going" he admitted. Since she had been weird with him all day…he had just assumed that she would cancel on him tonight.

"Well we are still going" Brooke smiled before kissing him lightly on the lips "Now go get dressed!" she smirked as she slapped his ass.

Lucas shook his head with a laugh before walking towards his bedroom. Brooke sighed and closed her eyes shut, a small smile appearing on her lips. Tonight she decided to forget about all her problems and being pregnant and just concentrate and her and Lucas and having fun.

* * *

"Hey Peyton"

Peyton looked up surprised to see Nathan standing in front of her at the bar "What do you want?" she asked suspiciously.

"What makes you think I want something, Peyt?" Nathan asked smugly as he leant against the bar.

"Because firstly, we have barely been civil to each other since our breakup and second…you only ever call me _Peyt_ when you want something from me" Peyton said and looked at him with suspicion

Nathan chuckled and shook his head.

"Well?" Peyton asked impatiently "In case you haven't realized already, I am busy tonight Nathan so will you please just spit it out"

Nathan sighed loudly before looking up at his ex-girlfriend. "Fine…I just wanted to know if Brooke was here yet"

"Why?" Peyton asked. From what she knew, the two former friends hadn't spoken in a while and when they did it was never good.

Nathan shrugged "Just to know when I should start…avoiding her" he lied.

Peyton rolled her eyes "You are pathetic" she told him "And to answer the question…no…she's not here yet, but she will be soon. So you keep out of their way tonight Nathan" she warned seriously "I want this night to be successful…and that means no trouble"

"Like I would cause trouble" Nathan mocked in fake innocence.

Peyton glared at him "I don't care if your mom owns this place…one bit of trouble from you and your butt will be out of this door before you can say the word that was made to describe you; jackass!" and with that she turned around and walked to the other side of the bar not wanting to be in her ex-boyfriends company for much longer.

Nathan chuckled to himself before lifting his cell to his ear "Hey Kevin, it's me Nathan" he started with a smug look on his face "Lucas is definitely coming tonight" he smirked before hanging up.

* * *

Lucas and Brooke walked into the very busy club and Lucas immediately wrapped his arm around Brooke's waist protectively.

"Wow, this place is crazy!" Brooke laughed as they walked towards the bar where Peyton was standing at.

"Trust me…I know that already!" Peyton said loudly over the music "But it seems to be going well so far, not many major disasters"

"That's good to know" Brooke smiled and Lucas wrapped both his arms around her from behind and kissed the side of her neck lightly.

"You two just got here?" Peyton asked making conversation and Lucas was surprised that she actually acknowledged him for once. Normally she would talk to Brooke as if he wasn't even there.

"Yeah" Brooke answered "_Someone_ was late getting dressed" she smirked as she tilted her head to the side to see Lucas shaking his head.

"I really didn't want to know that" Peyton mumbled thinking the worst.

Brooke rolled her eyes "It was totally innocent…I just came to pick him up and he was still in his sweats"

"Oh…right" Peyton said with a nervous smile. She felt stupid for assuming that they were late because they were taking part in certain _activities_. She noticed that Brooke looked happy though, her smiles were all real so far which was more than what she had been like for the past 24 hours.

"Hey Peyton, can I get a beer?" Lucas asked and Peyton immediately shook her head.

"You're underage" She said sternly.

"Oh come on…just one" he asked nicely but Peyton kept her gaze firm.

Brooke laughed lightly and turned around and tapped his chest softly "I told you, you should have had one before we came"

Lucas didn't answer her but instead pressed his lips against hers softly. Peyton looked away feeling a little uncomfortable but someone needed to be served further along the bar which gave her an excuse to leave.

* * *

"She seems happier then what she did at lunch" Haley commented as she and Peyton watched Brooke who was laughing loudly at someone Lucas was saying.

"Yeah" Peyton agreed as she watched her best friend. She knew what Brooke was doing. She was hiding away from her problems, she always did that.

She couldn't help but wonder when her friend was going to tell Lucas that she was pregnant; even if the guy didn't want a baby…he would at least support her right? She thought, watching them now and the way he looked at the brunette and the way he would kiss her every now and then for no reason, she could see that they were in love, she wasn't that blind.

But Brooke had told her that Lucas hates responsibility and she couldn't help but wonder how it ran through the family. Dan had left Lucas's mother when she was pregnant and Nathan had pretty much left her when she found out she was carrying his child…would Lucas follow in the Scott's footsteps? For Brooke's sake she sure hoped not.

"If you didn't know anything about Brooke and Lucas…didn't know the drama or anything like that" Peyton started as she turned to face Haley "Would you say that they looked happy?" she asked.

Haley decided not to ask what made Peyton ask such a question but turned back to see the couple laughing and joking with each other. "Yeah" she admitted "They look really happy"

Peyton sighed loudly, she really hoped her best friend's happiness would last long and not just for tonight…it was pretty much decided that Brooke was going to keep the baby but that could all change once Lucas finds out about the pregnancy and she just hoped that Brooke would be able to get through it. With or without Lucas.

* * *

Nathan met Kevin outside of Tric…he noticed that he wasn't alone though "Who are these guys?" he asked curiously as he eyed the two rough looking guys that Kevin brought along with him.

"Just some friends looking to have a good time" Kevin smirked as he looked at them "Isn't that right boys?" he asked smugly and they all nodded.

Nathan looked at him suspiciously but motioned towards the building "Lucas is inside…I saw him come in"

"Good" Kevin smirked as he went to walk up the steps but Nathan stopped him. "What?" he asked in annoyance.

"Since I got you this information then you need to do something for me" Nathan said seriously and Kevin waited for him to continue "Lucas's girlfriend is in there with him and I don't want you guys to go anywhere near her" he said seriously.

Kevin chuckled and looked to the side "Do you think I would hit a girl?" he asked slightly irritated at the brunette.

"Well no…but…" he trailed unsure of what to say, he didn't realize until now that he was out of his league with these guys…just looking at the determination and anger on their faces proved that he would never want to be on the wrong side of them.

"Look Nathan…why don't you go back home to mommy…let the big boys deal with this" Kevin practically ordered him.

"Look man…this is my mom's club and she doesn't want any trouble tonight so when you find Lucas can you at least bring him outside to fight him?" Nathan asked seriously.

Kevin looked at the two other guys and all three of them started to laugh and Nathan could only look at them in confusion. Kevin was the first to stop and he looked at Nathan in a hard gaze "Who said anything about a fight." he smirked and with that he pushed the brunette out of the way and the three guys walked fast up the steps and into the club.

Nathan could only watch as he ran a hand through his hair, curious and also fearful at what was about to go down.

* * *

"No! No! Stop!" Brooke giggled loudly as Lucas continued to tickle her from their place on one of the couches placed around the club.

Lucas chuckled as he began to blow raspberries on her neck and Brooke struggled to get him off of her. "Say you love me" they tended to play this game a lot…but they never got bored of it.

"No!" Brooke giggled and Lucas continued to tickle her.

"Baby…just say you love me!" he grinned. "And then I will stop"

"Urgh!" Brooke groaned frustratingly "Fine! I love you Lucas Scott!"

Lucas smirked as he lifted his head up before whispering "I love you too…Pretty Girl" he grinned before leaning down and kissing her softly.

They both pulled away and sat up, Brooke positioning herself on Lucas's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck "We are always going to be together right, Luke?" she asked quietly.

"Of course" Lucas nodded with a smile but also curious as to why she was asking "It's always going to be you and me baby girl…forever…just the two of us" he said softly as he moved some of her hair behind her ear.

"Or three" Brooke muttered under her breath.

"What?" he asked not hearing what she said. But Brooke didn't answer him, instead just pressed her lips against his softly in a kiss before pulling away.

Lucas sighed contently as he rested his forehead against hers but he soon pulled away and stood up "I need to go to the bathroom" he said with a smile before leaning down and giving her a quick peck "Don't move" he smirked before walking away.

Brooke nodded and leant back against the sofa and smiled, tonight was turning out to be a really good night.

* * *

Lucas walked out of the boy's bathroom and made his way through the crowd but froze when he came face to face with Kevin and two of his bitches.

"Wow Kev…come back for more have you?" Lucas smirked as he crossed his arms round his chest expectantly.

Kevin smirked "You bet Lucas" he smirked "Nobody points a gun to my face and gets away with it" Lucas chuckled as he looked to the two guys standing behind him.

"I'm sensing a little Déjà vu, Kevin" he smirked "What you gonna do? Take me and your boys outside for round two?" he asked amused.

"Not exactly"

* * *

"Brooke!"

Brooke looked up surprised at the voice and looked up at her former best friend curiously "Nathan…" she trailed confused and curious "What's up?"

Nathan looked down at the brunette and noticed she was alone "Where's Lucas?" he asked urgently.

Brooke sighed loudly and rolled her eyes "Why would I tell you? He isn't scared of you Nathan" she spat coldly "He told me about what happened at the Rivercourt last night"

Nathan ran a hand through his hair nervously "Trust me Brooke…I'm the least of your worries right now"

Brooke stood up concerned and noticed that Nathan looked really nervous. Nathan Scott rarely looked nervous. "What's wrong Nathan?" she asked worriedly.

"God Brooke" Nathan muttered "You are going to hate me" he started before he began to explain about what had happened today.

* * *

"Peyton! Peyton!" Brooke shouted frantically as she ran towards Peyton who was standing behind the bar, talking to Haley who was on the other side of it.

"Brooke…what's wrong?" she asked worriedly as she noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Where's Lucas? Have you seen him?" she asked desperately…the knots in her stomach only growing worse as Peyton shook her head.

"No…Brooke…what's wrong?" she asked concerned before something dawned on her "Did you tell him about the baby?" she asked shocked that Brooke had done so, so soon after all, she was the one being stubborn about not telling Lucas yet.

"Baby?" Haley cut in confused however Brooke had enough to worry about right now then to think about other people finding out about her pregnancy.

"No" Brooke breathed out "Peyton…just help me find him please" she said as a small sob escaped from her lips "I can't find him anywhere and he could be in trouble"

Peyton was immediately at the other side of the bar and brought Brooke into her arms "I'm sure he is fine Brooke…I bet he is looking for you right now"

Brooke shook her head "You don't know the half of it" she said fearfully.

"Brooke…" Nathan said hesitantly as he approached the brunette.

"Stay the hell away from me Nathan!" Brooke shouted angrily and Nathan reluctantly took a step back.

"I'm so sorry" he apologized "Brooke; I didn't even know who the guy was…"

"Wait...what exactly is going on?" Peyton asked confused as she glanced at the two brunettes.

However neither answered her as Nathan turned around and continued his search for Lucas.

* * *

"So come on then" Lucas smirked "Give me your best shot" he said expecting a fight. "You going to hit me first or will it be one of those guys?" he asked.

"That's not exactly what I'm going for, Lucas" Kevin said smugly and Lucas looked at him curiously "You shouldn't have used that gun man"

Lucas let out a dry laugh "If I had used it…you would me in a morgue right now" he chuckled "So don't say that I used it when I didn't"

"Yeah" Kevin said with a nod "I'm not a wimp like you"

Lucas looked at him confused. "Are you high?" he asked with a laugh.

"No, but when I threaten someone with something, I actually go through with it" And with that Kevin stepped towards Lucas's body and Lucas immediately gasped for air as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his body. He looked down to see Kevin pull a knife out from his stomach and the dripping of the blood that followed.

His face quickly turned pale and he looked up at Kevin and the guy actually looked scared of his actions, he barely held his balanced as he watched him and his pals run away.

Lucas struggled to breathe as he slowly let his fingers crawl towards his wound and gasped in pain as he touched it. Everybody around him were in their own little world, talking and laughing and some were dancing and soon everything had zoned out and he couldn't hear a thing and everything was just a blur. He still somehow managed to still stay on his feet as he hobbled slowly towards the bar and that's when his vision and hearing came back.

"Lucas!" Brooke screamed in fear as she saw the blood dripping from his white shirt "Lucas!" she gasped as she ran towards her boyfriend, her arms immediately around him to steady him however it wasn't enough as his body collapsed slowly onto her and Brooke led him onto the ground gently.

Lucas closed his eyes not really hearing anything else but Brooke's sobs, he opened them to see Brooke hovering over his face, tears running extremely down her face and the fear in her eyes. But she still looked beautiful…like an angel.

"Lucas" Brooke sobbed as she shielded his body with hers as if protecting him "It's going to be okay baby" she said with a forced smile "Just keep your eyes open" she told him shakily before looking up. More people had seen what happened and a few were standing around watching in shock "Someone call an ambulance, please!" Brooke screamed and Peyton immediately brought her cell from her pocket.

"Luke…baby" Brooke said as she ran a hand over his perfect short blonde hair and ran her fingers down his perfect stubble pale cheeks "It's going to be okay…we are going to get help" she breathed out and Lucas could only stare at her with tired eyes.

"Brooke…" Lucas barely got out as his hand reached up and placed it gently on her cheek, rubbing it softly with his thumb "I…I love you"

Brooke shook her head, tears running from her eyes "Tell me later" she said in a sob "At the hospital…when your better"

Lucas however didn't answer her as he let his arm fall back to his side but kept his eyes looking up at her "I do" he whispered tiredly and Brooke nodded furiously.

"I know you do Broody…I know you do" she said in a shaky voice "And I love you too"

Lucas felt his breath hitch in his throat before coughing and Brooke's sobs only got louder. "It's going to be okay" she got out in between sobs as she took his hand in hers "I promise" she whispered.

Lucas closed his eyes tiredly and Brooke immediately slapped her hand on his cheek gently. "Luke, baby…keep your eyes open" however his eyes remained shut "Lucas!" Brooke cried "Wake up!" she screamed. Crying harder and louder now.

Nathan watched on, his heart breaking for the girl he once called his best friend. He felt like shit…the fear was clear in his eyes as he watched Brooke cradle his brother's body, screaming his name, begging him to wake up. He soon felt tears spring in his eyes as he watched the scene. He looked to his right to see Peyton shouting into her cell phone ordering whoever was on the other line to tell the ambulance to hurry up. He turned to the left to see the shocked and fearful faces of his fellow students as they watched the scene take place in front of his eyes. He saw the nervous and frightened expression on his tutor Haley's face before looking back at the brunette on the floor who was crying uncontrollably now. Yet the thought that ran through his mind the most was:

What the fuck had he done?

**

* * *

**

A/N: So…what did you all think? Please review and tell me…it does mean a lot and the feedback does inspire me to write more.

**Thanks for reviewing on the last chapter! I hope you liked this chapter…**

**Sara x**


	14. Too Late

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

Silence. The walls were white and dull and the seats were plastic and white which didn't stand out at all against the pale paint that covered the entire corridor. Silence. The floor was tiled and white and just like liked the walls and the chairs and the gowns that some of the doctors wore. Everything was white.

Brooke had never hated the colour white as much as she did now. The white look on Lucas's face when she saw him…the white shirt he was wearing, the patch of blood only spreading onto it more and more as time passed.

She, Peyton, Haley and Nathan sat silently in the waiting room at the hospital. The other three had arrived about twenty minutes after she did in the ambulance and so far they had heard nothing. They had been waiting there silently and patiently for nearly two hours and not a single person came to tell them how Lucas was doing.

Peyton sat on one side of her while Haley was at the other. She didn't really know why Haley was there since she barely knew the girl but she guessed that it was better than waiting alone. She looked up to see Nathan leaning against the wall and she could see the guilty look on his face…but at that moment she didn't really care. It was him who led Kevin fucking Potter to her boyfriend and until the police find that asshole…as far as she was concerned, it would be Nathan's fault.

She couldn't help but let out a small laugh when she realized that _she_ was the only one actually there _for_ Lucas. Peyton and Haley were there for her and Nathan was there because of his guilt.

She could see the horror on Peyton and Haley's face, they were probably wondering how she could be laughing at a time like this but neither seemed to have the courage to speak up and ask her. That's good, she thought…because she wouldn't tell them anyway.

Her stomach was swirling and she felt like she was about to throw up. The image of Lucas with blood dripping from his shirt wouldn't leave her mind. His face seemed to be everywhere and he had looked weak…out of the six months they had dated Brooke had never seen him look weak before; never.

"This is crap!"

Brooke snapped her head towards the curly blonde surprised at her outburst. She continued to stare at her as Peyton carried on her rant. "They should have told us something by now…the waiting is only going to stress you out and you don't need that Brooke" she told her and Brooke knew that she was talking about the baby.

The baby, Brooke thought. What if Lucas died? What would she tell his son or daughter? When they grow up asking where their father is…should she tell them that some fucker stabbed him to death because Uncle Nathan led the loser to their daddy? Lucas didn't even know she was pregnant…and she regretted that now, maybe if she had told him…Lucas only wouldn't be fighting for his life for himself and her…but for their baby too. And she would be damned if Lucas didn't survive this.

She was interrupted by her thoughts when she saw Peyton jump up in annoyance and approach the woman who was at the reception desk.

"Hey lady" she started "Are you guys ever going to tell us what is happening with Lucas Scott? His girlfriend over there needs to know what is going on!" she practically ordered and the older receptionist just glared at her.

"There is no need for aggression miss…and second thing…his girlfriend doesn't have the right to find out his information. Immediate family only" The woman said snobbishly and Peyton wanted to slap the bitch right there and then.

"Yeah well technically Brooke is his family…she is the only person he has" she started "They live together and…" she trailed before saying quietly so Nathan wouldn't hear "She is having his baby" she hissed "I think that's enough importance for her to know how he is doing!"

"I'm sorry miss but like I said before…immediately family only" The receptionist told her with a cold stare and Peyton was about to fight her argument even more but a deep voice came from behind.

"I'm his brother" Nathan mumbled and the receptionist eyed him suspiciously and it was obvious that she didn't believe him "If you don't believe me then check my records…my name is Nathan Scott, we share the same father…he is Dan Scott"

The lady raised her eyebrow in suspicion "Then why didn't you say anything sooner?" she questioned.

"Because we don't exactly call each other brothers…we weren't raised together or anything like that" Nathan muttered as he turned his head to see Brooke who looked in a complete world of her own "Please…can you just find out what's going on with him?" he asked desperately and the receptionist sighed loudly before turning to her computer and typing a few things.

"He is still in the operating room" she told him "But it says here that they are expecting to finish sometime in the next thirty minutes"

"Thank you" Nathan sighed as he and Peyton walked away.

"Thanks Nathan" Peyton told him as she rubbed his arm comfortingly before walking towards Brooke and telling her what the woman just told her.

* * *

"I'm scared"

Peyton and Haley turned to the brunette. This was the first word she had said in the last two hours and Peyton was kind of relieved that she was starting to talk about her feelings. It wasn't good keeping them bottled up for so long.

"I know honey" Peyton said softly as she wrapped her arm around her shoulders and brought her closer.

Brooke leant her head against the blondes shoulder before saying "What if he dies?" she asked in a shaky voice as tears again threatened to fall "What if I never see him again?"

"Don't say that Brooke" Haley cut in "From what I know…Lucas seems like a fighter and I doubt he is going to give up on his life and on you anytime soon" she said reassuringly as she rubbed Brooke's arm.

"I can't lose him" Brooke told them sadly before a small sob escaped from her lips "He is my entire life…I don't know what I would do without him"

"The doctors are doing the best they can Brooke" Peyton told her reassuringly "I'm sure he will be fine"

Brooke didn't say anything as she wiped her eyes and stood up "I need to do something…I feel so damn useless sitting around here" she said in frustration.

Before Brooke had the chance to walk away or for anyone else to say anything a doctor walked towards them with scrubs on as he eyed the teens "Are you all here for Lucas Scott?" he asked in a deep voice.

Brooke nodded her head quickly and was practically in the doctors face in a second "Yes…is he okay? Please tell me he is okay" he pleaded nervously.

"Are any of you immediate family?" he asked and they all shook their heads apart from Nathan.

"I'm his brother" he told him and stepped up however Brooke frowned and he was sure he heard her mutter 'He is no brother of his'

The doctor looked at Nathan then back at Brooke "Are you his girlfriend?" he asked.

Brooke nodded her head, tears already threatening to fall as she awaited news on her boyfriend.

"Ok" the doctor started as he looked down at his notes "As you probably already know…he was bleeding a lot when he came in which caused him to lose a lot of blood, we were lucky enough to find a suitable match of his type in our blood bank so that kept him breathing while we operated on his wound" he explained "Lucas was very lucky because if that knife had went in just a couple of inches higher then he would be in a lot of trouble as it could have severely damaged his lungs"

"So is he going to be okay?" Brooke asked impatiently just wishing the doctor would get straight to the point.

The doctor nodded "Chances are high that he is going to survive this" he told them "But he is going to be on bed rest for a while and he is also going to be very weak and tired because of his medication"

Brooke sighed loudly in relief…he was going to be okay! He wasn't going to die! He was going to live to see his baby. "Can I go in and see him?" she asked almost desperately and the doctor nodded his head.

"Yes you may. But just one at a time and I must warn you that he is going to be very sleepy…and very weak" he explained cautiously and Brooke nodded her head "He is in room 209" he said before walking away.

Brooke didn't wait around long enough for anyone to say anything before practically running down the corridor to Lucas's room.

Nathan sighed in relief as he sat down and put his head in his hands…he didn't know what he would do if Lucas didn't make it…how he would ever be able to look Brooke in the eyes again.

Haley sat down next to Nathan and rubbed his arm softly "You know that this isn't your fault right?" she asked comfortingly.

"Well then why the hell do I feel so guilty?" he asked in a mumble and Haley didn't answer his question but told him this.

"Don't blame yourself Nathan" she said softly "It was not your fault" she told him in a more stern voice and Nathan sighed before nodding.

* * *

Brooke stood nervously at Lucas's hospital door as she slowly walked in.

Lucas lay on the bed asleep…his face looked pale and it scared Brooke to see him looking so weak.

"Are you going to just stand there all day?" Lucas asked with a croaky voice and Brooke immediately ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him.

Lucas weakly placed his hand on the back of her head and he soon heard Brooke's muffled cries against his chest. "Pretty girl" he whispered quietly "Don't cry…please…you know I hate it when you cry" he breathed out.

Brooke looked at him as Lucas wiped the tears from her cheeks "Don't you _ever_ do this to me again Lucas Scott!" she said sternly and seriously "I mean it" she said as another sob escaped from her lips "I was so scared"

"I know and I'm sorry" he mumbled "But its okay now…I'm okay" he told her with a weak smile.

Brooke pulled away from him and sat on the seat which was positioned next to his bed. She took his hand in hers before lifting it towards her lips and kissing his knuckles softly.

"I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you, Luke" Brooke told him sadly. The fear still evident in her voice and Lucas couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "I thought you were doing to die"

"Ssh" Lucas cut in "Let's just not talk" he said softly as he pulled her towards him and shuffled along the bed for Brooke to lie next to him. Brooke rested her head against his shoulder and Lucas kissed the top of her head softly. He soon fell asleep and it wasn't long after that, that Brooke followed his actions…all the emotions she had been feeling from the past couple of hours had made her exhausted.

* * *

It was the day after Lucas was stabbed and Brooke had barely left his hospital room since. Part of her was scared to leave him in case something happened to him even though Lucas reassured her that he was going to be fine. The other part just didn't want to leave his side because she wanted to spend all of her time with him since nearly losing him made her realize even more how important he was to her and she honestly didn't know what she would do without him.

She walked out the cafeteria and through the halls and she was surprised to see Peyton standing outside of Lucas's room. "Hey Peyt" she said with a small smile as she approached the blonde.

"Hey" Peyton smiled softly "How you doing buddy?"

"Fine" Brooke answered as she glanced into the hospital room where Lucas was asleep in. "Lucas is fine too" she told her "Well as fine as he can be"

Peyton nodded before looking back at Brooke "Have you told him about the baby?"

Brooke shook her head "No" she answered weakly "I want to though…but if he doesn't like the idea of becoming a dad then I'm scared that it will just make him worse"

"But didn't the doctors say that he was stable now? And recovering?" Peyton asked.

"Yes but they also said that he should take it easy and relax…I can't stress him out Peyton"

"But you need to tell him soon Brooke" Peyton sighed "I know that when you didn't know how he was doing that you wished he knew about the baby"

"I know" Brooke said with a small sigh "I will tell him" she said regaining more confidence "I will tell him when he wakes up"

"Good B.Davis…I'm proud of you" Peyton said honestly as she pulled the brunette in for a hug.

"Thanks" Brooke said with a nervous laugh as she pulled out of the hug "Okay…well I'm going to go back in there…"

Peyton nodded "Alright…well call me later tonight and tell me what happens okay?"

"Ok" Brooke agreed with a nod before walking back into Lucas's room.

* * *

Brooke sat silently by Lucas's bedside. She watched him sleep as she softly stroked the top of his head noticing that his blonde hair was growing out of his buzz cut ever so slightly.

"Hey gorgeous" Brooke smiled as she saw Lucas slowly open his eyes.

Lucas looked at her and smiled back at her weakly "Hey baby girl" he breathed out tiredly.

Brooke smiled as she leant over and kissed him softly on the lips before leaning back down on the seat.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked noticing that Brooke seemed rather quiet.

Brooke let out a small smile "Shouldn't it be me asking how you are? I mean…I'm not the one lying in a hospital bed"

"Yeah but I'm not the one who is obviously hiding something" he muttered as he tried to sit up but the pain from his stomach caused him to groan.

"Baby" Brooke said worriedly as she helped him sit up properly "Are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine!" Lucas muttered frustratingly. He hated it when he couldn't look after himself…he had been looking after himself for as long as he could remember and sitting here…all weak and tired in a hospital bed made him frustrated and even slightly angry. "Please Brooke…just tell me what is going on with you!"

"Ok" Brooke mumbled as she stood up and began to pace the small hospital room nervously. "Please don't freak out, Luke" she pleaded as she turned to her boyfriend who looked confused as hell.

"Just spit it out Brooke" Lucas urged softly but also impatiently.

"Just promise me you won't be mad?" Brooke asked nervously as she walked towards the bed "Because it's not my fault Luke…I mean…not really"

"What Brooke?" Lucas asked growing slightly concerned at his girlfriend's nervousness "Just tell me please…"

"Just promise me!" she pleaded "Please"

"Alright" Lucas grunted "I promise"

"Ok" Brooke breathed out as she looked down at her hands nervously "I…I'm pregnant Lucas" she said quietly.

Lucas's eyes widened and his jaw dropped at his girlfriends revelation "Wh-what?" he stuttered unsure if he had heard correctly.

"I am having your baby" Brooke told him louder this time "_We_ are having a baby"

Lucas turned his head away from her and looked across at the door. He couldn't believe this. They were always so damn careful! So how the hell could she be pregnant? "Are you sure?" he asked without looking at her.

"Yes" Brooke got out, scared of how he was acting so far "I have took a test and I have seen a doctor and everything…apparently I am six weeks along"

"Six weeks" she heard Lucas mutter quietly as she guessed he was probably figuring out the dates.

"Luke" Brooke started nervously "Please talk to me…tell me how you feel about this" she pleaded.

Lucas stayed silent as a million and one thought ran through his head. Brooke was going to have a baby? He was going to have a son or a daughter? He was going to be a dad?

Brooke could honestly say that she was shocked when she saw Lucas let out a small laugh. She frowned and glared at her boyfriend "How is this funny?" she asked in disbelief.

Lucas snapped his head towards Brooke and smiled widely "We are going to have a baby" he said with a wide smile and Brooke was actually surprised at his happiness.

"Yeah…" Brooke trailed "But you're not mad at me? Or freaked out?" she asked seriously.

Lucas shook his head "Baby, why would I be mad? This is great! I mean…we are going to have someone to call _ours_!" he smiled "I'm going to have a son or a daughter" he beamed and even though he was scared shitless he couldn't help but let his happiness take over. "Aren't you happy about this?" he asked.

"I don't know" Brooke confessed and although she was happy and relieved that Lucas seemed happy about the baby she still had her own fears "I mean…Luke…we are 17 years old! We both don't have jobs and we are still in high school…this is going to be _so_ hard" she admitted "And I am absolutely terrified"

Lucas nodded "But we will get through it" he said with a small smile "We always do"

Brooke nodded as she felt tears burn in her eyes "When you were getting operated on I was so scared that you wouldn't make it and one of the only things that I could think about is that this child wouldn't get to know their daddy and that scared the shit out of me Lucas…because I don't want to do this alone"

Lucas smiled as he held his arms out motioning for Brooke to come to him "You won't be alone Brooke…I am never leaving you again, okay?" he said seriously as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He smiled when Brooke nodded against his shoulder and he kissed the side of her neck softly. He was going to be dad…and even though he was terrified, he knew that he was going to be a much better father than Dan Scott ever was to him.

* * *

Brooke walked out of Lucas's hospital room and almost went crashing straight into her former best friend.

"Nathan" Brooke said quietly and also a little confused "What are you doing here?"

"I…uh" Nathan stuttered as he rubbed the back of his head nervously "I just wanted to see how Lucas is doing"

"He's doing fine considering" Brooke said sharply but she saw the guilty look on the taller brunettes face and she sighed before saying "He is getting better…slowly" she admitted "He is sore and tired but the doctors say he is on his way to making a full recovery"

"That's good" Nathan mumbled awkwardly as he didn't know what else to say. "Does he know…" he trailed nervously and Brooke immediately shook his head.

"No" Brooke answered "And I think that it's best if he doesn't know your involvement in this…the last thing I need is for you two to be at each other's throats again after this"

Nathan nodded in understanding before looking at Brooke with a nervous and guilty expression on his face "You do know that I'm sorry, right?" he said sincerely.

Brooke nodded "Yeah" she replied honestly, even though the two Scott brothers pretty much hated each other, she could see the apologetic look in Nathan's eyes and she knew that he regretted leading Kevin to Lucas. "But promise me you will back off from him now, Nathan?" she asked "I'm serious…stay away from him" she warned.

Nathan reluctantly nodded "Okay" he answered before taking a step back "I guess I better go then…" he trailed.

"Yeah" Brooke agreed "I think you should"

Nathan sighed with a nod before turning around and walking down the corridor towards the exit.

* * *

Nathan walked into the hospital car park towards his car but turned around at the voice of someone calling his name. He turned around and was surprised at the man that was standing before him.

"Keith" Nathan said confused as he looked at his uncle. They weren't close, no way near it actually, they had only met a few times since Keith lived in Charleston but they went over there last year for thanksgiving and he seemed like an okay guy. "What are you doing here?" he asked confused.

"I got a phone call last night saying that Lucas was rushed into hospital after being stabbed" Keith said, the fear clearly evident in his eyes "How's he doing?" he asked worriedly.

"Uh" Nathan stuttered unsure of how to answer "He's doing fine as far I know" he answered as he shifted from one foot to the other.

Keith raised an eyebrow curiously "Have you been to see him?"

Nathan shook his head "No…we aren't exactly close…" he trailed.

Keith nodded "Well I am just glad that he is okay" he said to his nephew before an awkward silence erupted between the two. "Well it's been good seeing you Nate" he said with a smile.

Nathan nodded "You too Uncle Keith" he answered before taking a step back "Well I better go…" he started.

"Alright…well I will catch up with you later" Keith told him before walking towards the hospital.

* * *

"Hey" Lucas mumbled tiredly as he looked at Brooke who was reading a magazine by his side. "How long was I out for?" he asked slightly confused.

"Um" Brooke started as she looked down at her watch "Not that long…just about a half hour" she said with a smile as she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips before pulling away "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore" Lucas admitted "My side and stomach is killing me and I have a pounding headache"

"Yeah the doctors said that your medication could cause minor migraines and tiredness…and since you just feel asleep on me, I am guessing it's working" she smiled.

"I'm sorry if I'm boring you" he joked as he slowly sat up but flinched at the pain his wound made.

"Let me help" Brooke jumped in as she gently helped him to sit up. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah" Lucas nodded reassuringly "How are you feeling?" he asked as he motioned to her still flat stomach and Brooke gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine…although I can see why they call it morning sickness" she said with a small laugh.

Lucas looked at her sympathetically "That must suck"

Brooke shook her head "You really shouldn't be sympathetic…I can't complain" she shrugged "You're the one lying in a hospital bed"

Lucas was about to answer her but a knock on the door caused him to stop. They both turned their heads as the person slowly walked in. Lucas looked shocked and Brooke just looked confused.

"Hi Lucas" Keith said with a small smile.

* * *

Nathan walked into his house tiredly and went to walk towards his bedroom but his father stopped him.

"Where have you been, Nathan?" Dan asked in a stern voice as he approached his son.

Nathan thought about lying, because honestly…he didn't know what Dan's reaction would be about him checking up on the older Scott brother but he knew that there was no point anymore. "I've been to the hospital" he answered solemnly.

"Why" Dan asked simply in his normal sharp tone.

"I wanted to see how Lucas was doing" Nathan told him honestly and for a second he thought he saw concern flash in his father's eyes but he wasn't one hundred percent sure.

"He is a silly boy" Dan said shaking his head "Getting mixed up in that type of lifestyle…it's his own fault for getting stabbed…that's why I have always told you to stay clear from guys like that" Dan said sternly.

Nathan looked at his father in shock "Dad…you can hardly blame him for almost dying" he said in disbelief "You don't know the full story"

"And what?" Dan asked with a raised eyebrow "You do?"

Nathan looked away deciding it would be best not to tell his father about his part in the incident. He sighed before shaking his head "No…but…come on…he almost died and you don't even seem to care just one little bit" he said honestly "He is your son too"

"Don't" Dan hissed sternly "He is not my son" he said with an undertone of anger in his voice "He is emancipated from me and I did not raise him so that does not make him my son"

Nathan shook his head in disappointment before he started to walk up the stairs "I'm going to my room" he mumbled before walking grudgingly up the stairs.

Dan watched until Nathan had disappeared from his sight. He sighed loudly and looked towards a photo from that was placed on a shelf towards the side. It was a picture of him, Deb and Nathan. His family…he shook his head tiredly before walking back towards his office.

* * *

Keith looked at the young boy in the hospital bed and he had to admit that he was shocked by his appearance. He wasn't the innocent looking boy he knew when he last saw him. His face was rough and he had grown up a lot. His facial hair proved that. Also…the flowing blonde hair that he remembered the eight year old version of Lucas had with his soft blonde hair flowing from his head nothing like the buzz cut he was sporting now. He knew that he wouldn't be the same since he last saw him…of course he wouldn't be…but he was still shocked by his nephews appearance.

Lucas looked at the man he was considered a father figure standing in the doorway. He looked the same from what Lucas could remember…just a little older. He was shocked to see him…he hadn't saw the man in about nine years, he hadn't even returned back to Tree Hill for his mothers funeral.

Lucas was the first to speak since Keith had greeted him. He looked at the man with a glare on his face and an icy stare "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.

Keith sighed, he was sort of expecting that reaction but he was also a little hopeful that his nephew would be happy by his presence but obviously not. "So you remember me then?" he asked.

Lucas didn't answer as he glared at the older man. Brooke sat in the chair next to his bed very confused…she recognized this guy from somewhere but she had no idea what from, but obviously Lucas knew him. "What are you doing here?" Lucas asked again in the same cold tone.

"Your doctor called me yesterday" Keith started as he fully walked into the room and shut the door behind him "They told me about the stabbing and I wanted to see if you were okay"

"I'm fine" Lucas snapped angrily "Not that you would care"

"Of course I care, Lucas" Keith sighed "Despite what you might think and what you think of me…I still consider you as family"

And that's when Brooke realized who this guy was. She had recognized him from a photo at Nathan's house…he was their Uncle Keith. She also remembered how Lucas told her that he abandoned him and his mother. Then she remembered that she had actually met the guy before…it was a few years ago at a New Year's party at the Scott's household.

"I don't have a family" Lucas hissed and Brooke looked at him. Lucas obviously realized his mistake and backtracked "The only people I consider family is my girlfriend and our baby"

"Baby?" Keith asked shocked. Since when did Lucas have a baby?

"Yeah" Lucas replied "Brooke is pregnant" he said motioning to the brunette sitting next to him.

Brooke looked at Keith with a nervous smile "Hi" she let out with a small laugh…she didn't really know what else to say.

"Hi" Keith answered in shock. They were only 17…and they were having a baby? Then again…Lucas was a Scott and they had a reputation of being teenage parents.

Lucas smiled smugly at the shocked expression on his uncles face "You see" he started "You don't know me…you don't know anything about me"

Keith was pulled out of his thoughts by Lucas's harsh words. "Well can't we change that Lucas? I want to get to know you again"

"It's too late" Lucas snapped and Brooke could see that he was getting angry.

"It's never too late Lucas"

"Yeah? Well it is for my mom!" Lucas shouted in anger "Where were you then huh? You left us!" he screamed angrily "We relied on you and you just left!" he shouted "Where were you? Where were you when I started high school? When I got my ass kicked freshman year by my so called brother and his friends for being a bastard! Where were you in junior high when all the kids teased me because my mom couldn't afford to buy me new trainers so I had to wear ones with holes in them! Where were you when she died? When she killed herself?" he asked as tears sprung in his eyes "Where were you then huh? When I had to go in foster care because nobody else wanted me! You didn't even come to her _FUNERAL_!" he shouted in rage and tears ran from his eyes now which just made Lucas even angrier. He hated it when he cried…it was a sign of weakness and he was never weak! He would never be weak.

"Lucas…I…" Keith started shocked by his outburst. Even Brooke looked shocked.

"No!" Lucas shouted cutting him off "Don't! Okay? I don't need you _now_! I needed you _then_! And you weren't there!" he screamed "So just go!"

Keith didn't know what else to say so he quickly left the room without another word.

"Oh Luke" Brooke gasped sadly as she wrapped her arms around him tightly "I'm so sorry" she whispered as she kissed his forehead softly as she cradled her boyfriend in her arms. He was crying full on now and Brooke had never seen him like this before. "Its okay" she whispered softly "I'm here for you"

Lucas continued to cry against Brooke's chest and he didn't care that he felt embarrassed for doing so…he was supposed to be the strong one yet it was Brooke who was comforting and looking after him. "I'm sorry" he sobbed against her.

Brooke looked confused as she continued to hold him tight. What did he have to be sorry for? She didn't answer as she carried on comforting him in a hug…that was the only thing she could really do. She just hoped that it was enough.

**

* * *

**

Well? You like? Please review and tell me what you all thought! And thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter...Like I always say, it does mean a lot!

**Sara x**


	15. Life's Not Perfect

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: Hey guys! I have had this chapter written for quite a while now and I have been dying to post it! Seriously...I want to hear your reaction to this! So I thought I would post it a little earlier then from what I normally would! So here it is...**

* * *

It had been nearly an hour since Keith had left the hospital and Lucas had finally calmed down although he did feel embarrassed of his breakdown in front is his girlfriend…his _pregnant_ girlfriend, he was supposed to be the strong one consoling her, not the other way around.

Brooke sat next to him on the bed and smiled as she noticed Lucas's fingers trailed across her stomach. "I can't believe there is a baby in there" he whispered softly.

"Well you will believe it when I start to pack on the baby fat!" She grunted seriously and Lucas chuckled.

"I think you will look very sexy being pregnant"

"Yeah" Brooke scoffed "Tell me this in seven months time, Broody!"

"I will" Lucas smiled "I promise" he grinned as he leaned to the side and kissed her softly on the lips. They were interrupted however by a knock on the door and they both inwardly groaned before pulling away.

Lucas grunted in frustration when two cops walked in, one in a suit and the other in uniform. He hated the police!

Brooke sighed loudly as she looked at Lucas's annoyed face…she knew how much Lucas hated the cops but she still hoped that he cooperated with them.

"Good day Mr. Scott" The man in the suit started "I'm Officer Maloy and this is Officer Jones and we just want to ask you a few questions about the incident that occurred at the club Tric on Friday night"

Lucas rolled his eyes as he waited for them to continue. The uniform guy pulled out a recording microphone and placed it at the edge of his bed.

"Do you know who stabbed you?" Officer Maloy asked in a firm voice. Typical...he made the first question blunt and straight to the point.

Lucas stayed silent for a moment. Contemplating on whether or not he should dob Kevin in. "No" he answered simply and he looked to the side to see Brooke's face. She did not look happy.

"So you have no idea who it was?"

"Nope"

"Ok" the officer sighed "Do you know what he was wearing?"

Lucas nodded "He had a hood on…a baseball cap…you know, the normal stuff people wear when they don't want to be noticed" he answered in a bored tone.

"So do you believe that this was just a random attack?"

"Yes"

The cops asked a couple more questions before telling Lucas that if he had any more information then he should contact them, they soon left after that.

Lucas turned to the side to see the angry look on his girlfriend's face. "What are you looking like me that for?" he asked in an innocent tone although he knew why she was so pissed.

"You're kidding right?" she asked with a little sarcasm "Why didn't you tell the police who it was stabbed you? You can't let Kevin get away with this!"

"Brooke" Lucas stared as he sighed loudly "Me dobbing in Kevin is only going to make things worse!"

"No it will be justice!" Brooke argued "Stop being such a stubborn asshole, Lucas! You aren't just thinking about yourself now!" Lucas looked away knowing that she was talking about the baby and listened as Brooke continued "What if he hasn't finished with you? What if he comes back?"

"He won't come back!" Lucas defended.

"Why not, Luke? What would happen if he does come back? Maybe not now…but in a year's time or maybe even three…what if he tries to hurt me? Or worse…our baby?"

Lucas didn't answer her as he continued to look away from her. Brooke sighed with disappointment and shook her head standing up "Fine…if you won't tell them then I will" she said seriously.

Lucas snapped his head towards her in shock "Brooke" he warned sternly "Don't"

"Why shouldn't I? This guy tried to _kill_ you!" Brooke hissed "Why the hell are you being so damn selfish?" she asked angrily "Stop thinking about yourself!"

Lucas looked away, his guilt taking over as he realized that Brooke was right, but he knew that if he left this alone then it would be over…it should be over. He looked up surprised when he heard the hospital door slam shut and Brooke was now gone. He groaned in frustration and cursed to himself but also hoping that Brooke wouldn't go to the cops.

* * *

Brooke walked through the hospital halls quickly, hoping to catch up with the cops. She didn't want to go against Lucas but she knew that she wanted Kevin locked up and if Lucas couldn't see that then he was an idiot. She wasn't stupid, she could see why Lucas just wanted to forget about everything and normally she would just go along with him…she always did, but this time was different…it wasn't just Lucas that she had to think about…there was a baby too and she was freaking terrified.

She picked up her pace walking but suddenly came to a halt when she saw the man from earlier sitting with his head in his hands on one of the plastic chairs which were placed all the way along the hall. She stared at him for a moment…not really knowing what to do. What is the girlfriend of the nephew this guy abanded supposed to say? She didn't know…but that didn't stop her from silently sitting down next to him.

Keith lifted his head up as he noticed someone sit next to him, he looked surprised to see the girl Lucas said was his girlfriend… but she also looked familiar from somewhere else, he just wasn't sure where.

Brooke sat in silence for a minute or so and Keith shuffled next to her nervously, curious if she was even going to speak…after waiting another couple of seconds it was getting obvious that the brunette wasn't going to say a word. "I'm sorry for what happened in there" he mumbled quietly…his voice clearly showing signs of being nervous.

Brooke nodded as she looked straight ahead of her…staring at the dull white walls. "I've never seen him like that before…it scared me a little" she admitted. She didn't know why the hell she was telling him this for…she didn't even know the guy! Yet somehow the words still came pouring from her mouth "He has never really talked about his childhood before" she said, her voice was distant and Keith sat silent beside her as he waited for her to continue. "Sure, I have asked him about it and he has told me bits and pieces but he never talks about his mom…he never talks about you either" she looked down at her knees and nervously linked her hands together "I had no idea about all the stuff Nathan did to him growing up…which is odd considering he was my best friend"

And that's when Keith remembered where he knew her from…she was a friend of Nathan's. He remembered meeting her and her parents at a New Year's party a few years back. Keith nodded as he turned his head to Brooke and gave her a small smile "I remember you now…your Nathan's best friend"

"Former" Brooke jumped in "Former best friend"

Keith looked at her a little confused but knew that it wasn't exactly his business to ask her why their friendship had ended. However, he still needed to know what his nephew had been up to for the past nine years. "How long have you known Lucas for?"

"Not that long actually" Brooke admitted which was strange even to her because she felt like she had known him forever.

"But you're having his baby?" Keith asked. Brooke immediately frowned and Keith didn't mean to judge.

"We didn't plan it; you know" Brooke hissed sharply "I didn't plan on becoming pregnant at 17"

"I'm sorry" Keith mumbled "I just don't understand how Lucas's life got to this" he confessed "He is so different from the little boy I used to know"

"Maybe it's because he has had nobody in his life while growing up" Brooke spat coldly. She didn't like how this man had basically abanded her boyfriend and she wasn't going to hide it either.

Keith looked away guiltily "I didn't know any of this would happen…I didn't know that Karen was going to die" he said sadly.

Brooke looked down at the mention of Lucas's mother "Did you love her?" she asked quietly.

Keith nodded "I did…yes" he answered "But I managed to move on"

"And from Lucas too"

Keith shook his head "I've been thinking about him since I've left"

"But not enough to come visit and to see if he was doing okay" Brooke argued "Not even a phone call"

"I thought that when Karen died he would be okay with Dan"

Brooke immediately let out a dry and bitter laugh "Are you kidding me?" she asked in disbelief "Dan has never done anything for Lucas"

Keith turned away, guilt clear on his face "I didn't know that"

"But you should have"

"I know" Keith admitted solemnly "But I can't change what has happened…but I do want to change what _will_ happen."

"It's not going to be easy" Brooke told him honestly "Trust me, I know Lucas and he doesn't let people into his life without putting up a good fight"

"I guess I will just have to try and work extra hard then" Keith sighed.

* * *

Brooke nervously took a breath before knocking lightly on Nathan's bedroom door. The front door was open so she decided to just let herself in. "Come in" she heard Nathan mutter and she slowly opened the door.

"Brooke" Nathan said in surprise and quickly sat up "What are you doing here? Is Lucas okay?"

Brooke looked a little confused at Nathan's sudden concern over his 'brother' but then realized that it was probably just his guilt talking…which was why she needed his help. "Lucas is fine" she told him and walked further into his room "But I need your help"

Nathan stood up and dug his hands into his pockets nervously "Sure" he answered "What about?"

"Kevin" Brooke told him with a sigh and Nathan immediately looked down.

* * *

"Knock, knock" Keith said hesitantly as he slowly entered the hospital room.

Lucas looked up and quickly rolled his eyes "Are you still here?" he asked in annoyance.

Keith didn't answer as he gently shut the door behind him and walked slowly towards the window "I have just been having a chat with your girlfriend" he told him, deciding to ignore his annoyed tone.

Lucas looked at his uncle in surprise "Is she still here?" he asked hopefully.

Keith shook his head "She left about 30 minutes ago"

Lucas grunted and looked down at his hands "What did you guys talk about?" he asked in a mutter not really wanting to talk to the man that had pretty much abanded him. All he wanted to know was whether or not Brooke was going to go to the police or not.

Keith shrugged "Mainly you" he told him "She seems to really like you" he pointed out.

"She loves me" Lucas snapped defensively and Keith nodded.

"I guessed that" he said "I could see it in her eyes when she was talking about you"

Lucas stared ahead of him "I would appreciate it if you don't talk about me to her…especially since you don't know _anything_ about me"

Keith nodded "Okay" he answered simply "And I know that you are mad at me and I understand that but can't we just talk about things? Like adults"

"Well I'm not an adult am I?" Lucas told him stubbornly "I am only 17"

"But you're about to become a father" Keith pointed out.

Lucas immediately snapped his head towards Keith "You have no right to talk about that!" he spat coldly.

"Maybe not" Keith sighed "But we need to talk about this properly, Lucas" he said "I know that you probably have a million thoughts running through your head right now, I mean…you are in a hospital bed and your teenage girlfriend is going to have your baby and I know that you're probably scared…trust me I know the feeling"

Lucas frowned and looked at Keith curiously "What?"

Keith sighed. He didn't want Lucas to find out like this…he wanted to sit him down and tell him himself. "I'm a father" he told him "Just like you are going to be"

Lucas looked away angrily. So this loser left him and his mother to go and play happy families somewhere else? He was just as bad as his ass of a brother!

* * *

"Does Lucas know about this?" Nathan asked as he and Brooke sat on the edge of his bed.

Brooke shook her head "No…but he does know that I want to tell the police about Kevin" she told him "He wasn't too pleased about that"

"It's only going to make things worse if I become involved" Nathan said hesitantly "I think I have done enough"

"But you _already_ are involved, Nathan" Brooke told him "Lucas just doesn't know it"

"Yeah but if I do this then he is going to find out" he said "And he is going to want revenge or something and honestly, Brooke…I just want this whole thing to be over"

"I know that" Brooke agreed "And it _will_ be over but only when Kevin is locked away and not in our lives anymore…please Nate, you owe me this much"

Nathan stayed silent for a little while before answering "Fine" he said with a sigh "But all I am going to this is put in a witness statement and that's it, Brooke" he said firmly "No more"

Brooke nodded with a smile "That's all I wanted, Nathan" she smiled before surprising him with a hug "Thank you" she whispered into his ear and held onto him tightly.

Nathan let out a small smile and wrapped his arms around her…glad that they seemed to be getting somewhere even though he knew that their friendship was pretty much beyond repair.

* * *

"A boy and a girl" Keith continued "Andrew is six and Lilly is four" he said smiling just at the thought of his children "They are good kids"

"I am sure they are" Lucas muttered coldly "I take it you have a wife too"

Keith nodded "Yeah…Emily…she's a nice girl and I really love her" he said with a smile "But she's not your mother"

"Don't talk about my mom" Lucas said in a plain tone "You should leave now" he said his voice hardening "Go back and play happy families with your perfect wife and your perfect kids in your perfect life" he spat coldly.

"I didn't say my life was perfect, Lucas" Keith said not planning on leaving "Do you not think that I never think about you? Or Karen?" he asked seriously "Do you not think that I wonder how you are doing and what's happening in your life? Because I do, Luke, I do everyday"

"Well what the hell do you want? A medal?" Lucas hissed sarcastically.

"No" Keith answered ignoring his nephews tone "But I would like to get to know you…and I would like you to get to know my family…be a _part_ of my family"

"I'm not interested" Lucas replied stubbornly "I don't want to go and play happy families with you"

"Well then think about your child" Keith said in a soft tone "Think about that little baby boy or that little baby girl that is going to be born soon…you are going to need help, Lucas…you need family around you"

"Brooke and I don't need anyone else, thank you" Lucas spat coldly.

Keith let out a dry chuckle at Lucas's words "So what? You think that you and Brooke won't need help? You can't possibly believe that the two of you can do this without any problems? Because if you do then you need to open your eyes, son"

Lucas glared at his uncle angrily "You don't know shit"

"No but I am trying to" Keith said not backing down "What are you planning to do, Lucas? Get a part time job? Quit school? Where are you all going to live?"

"We haven't figured that out yet!" Lucas snapped defensively "I could work…provide for them"

"Oh yeah? And with what qualifications? I mean…since you would be planning on dropping out of school"

"Why are you doing this?" Lucas asked in anger "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I care for you, Lucas" Keith told him seriously "I care for you like you are my own and I only want what's best for you…I am happy that you're about to become a father, I really am" he admitted "But it's going to be hard and you are going to need help and if you don't realize that before this baby is born you are going to learn the hard way" he said "The same way your mother did…do you really think that's the best environment for your child to grow up in? Are you going to be the same kind of parent your mother was to you?"

Lucas's eyes blamed with fury at the comparison "Get out!" he shouted angrily.

"Lucas-" Keith started but the younger Scott cut him off.

"Get the fuck out of here and don't _EVER_ come back!" he screamed in rage.

Keith looked shocked by his harsh words but he could see it in his eyes that Lucas was serious; he hesitantly nodded before slowly backing out of the room.

* * *

"So you are telling me that you knew that Kevin Potter was going to stab Lucas Scott before it happened?" Officer Maloy asked in a stern tone as he interviewed Nathan at the police station.

Nathan immediately shook his head "No! No I didn't, honest!" he defended "I didn't know that he was going to stab Lucas but I did know that he was going to do something bad"

"Did you even know why Kevin wanted to find Lucas?" he asked curiously.

Nathan sighed and reluctantly shook his head "No…not really" he mumbled.

"Well then why did you help him?" the cop asked suspiciously "I mean…Lucas _is_ your brother"

Nathan looked down before answering "I wasn't thinking straight" he admitted "I was angry with Lucas about taking Brooke from me and then when I met Kevin…I wasn't planning on Lucas to get hurt the way he did…things just got out of my control"

"Out of your control? Well what did you expect to happen Mr. Scott?"

"I don't know!" Nathan answered honestly "I wasn't thinking!"

Officer Maloy sighed loudly before nodding "Okay" he finished "So it was definatley Kevin Potter who stabbed your brother?"

Nathan nodded "Yes sir"

"Right" he said "I will be back in a few minutes for you to sign some papers for your statement and then you will be free to leave…however if this case goes to court then we may need to bring you back as a witness"

Nathan nodded "Okay" he sighed as he watched the two cops leave the room. He leant back against his seat and rubbed his hands over his eyes tiredly. He just hoped his father wouldn't find out about this.

* * *

Brooke sat patiently in the waiting room at the police station as she nervously waited for Nathan to return. She was thankful for his help in all this since she knew that she couldn't really do much on her own…she just hoped that Lucas wouldn't be too pissed off at her.

"Nathan" Brooke smiled as Nathan came walking through the doors "How did it go?"

Nathan shrugged "It was a little intense but it was nothing I couldn't handle" he told her "The police have a warrant out of Kevin's arrest right now"

"That's good" Brooke smiled and pulled him in for another hug "Thank you"

"Yeah well…it was the least I could do" Nathan admitted as the two walked out of the police station. "So uh…are you heading back to the hospital?" he asked.

Brooke shrugged "I guess so…but I am trying to stay a little clear from it right now, I mean…your Uncle Keith came to visit Lucas earlier and he wasn't too pleased" she told him "But hopefully they are talking things over right now"

"Well…" Nathan started "If you want to stay clear for a little while longer we could always go for a coffee or something?" he suggested.

Brooke smiled with a nod "Okay…thanks Nate"

* * *

Lucas looked up in anger at the man standing before him…he would rather it be Keith standing there any day or this bastard "What are you doing here?" Lucas asked coldly.

"Nice to see you too, son" Dan answered in a smug tone.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked again in a bitter voice.

Dan shrugged "I thought I would come to congratulate the father to be" he smirked and Lucas's eyes widened and his eyes hardened. How the hell did he know? "I guess what they say really is true…that the apple _never_ seems to fall far from the tree"

"I am _nothing _like you" Lucas hissed coldly "So leave" he finished in a stern voice "Now"

"Now why would I want to do that, Lucas?" Dan asked with a smirk plastered on his face "I was about to give you the father son chat about becoming a parent"

"Yeah well that would actually require you to actually _be_ a parent…and you're not" Lucas told him harshly "So again…leave!"

"We really are similar in many ways, son" Dan continued in his arrogant smug voice "We both have a vicious temper and we both got our teenage girlfriends pregnant…wow, me , you and Nathan really do have the same genes" he chuckled "But like you just said…I'm not a parent, and neither will you be" he said "In fact…Nathan is probably the smartest one out of us all since he was the only one that actually got rid of his…" he trailed not sure of what to call the baby "mistake"

"My baby is not a mistake" Lucas hissed…well…he didn't plan on getting Brooke pregnant but he also didn't want his child to grow up the same way he did.

"Yes it is" Dan replied smugly "Just like you were…hell…just like Nathan was!" he told him "You are just going to turn out exactly like me, Lucas. You are going to be forced to love that baby just like I was with Nathan, and you are going to grow up bitter and angry and you are going to take it out on your precious Brooke just like I did with Deb" he said in a serious tone "Do you really want that for them?"

"That is not going to happen!" Lucas snapped "I am _not_ going to leave them the way you left me!"

"But I did you a favor didn't I, Lucas?" Dan asked "I loved your mother…I really did, she was the love of my life" he said and smiled at the look of anger on Lucas's face, but it was the truth, he did love Karen. "That was the only reason I left…because I loved her. Deb was different…sure, I loved her but not as much as I loved Karen… and she suffers everyday because of that, so does Nathan…I know that they do, yet somehow I don't stop…I can't stop" Lucas stayed silent as Dan continued. "Don't make the same mistake that I did Lucas…don't ruin that girls life just because you want to prove a point. You are not ready to be a father…just like Nathan wasn't. Do the right thing, Lucas…don't punish everyone because you have some fantasy that you will make a brilliant Dad because you won't…you are a Scott whether you like it or not" he finished and looked down at Lucas firmly "Just remember what I told you" And with that Dan left the hospital room leaving Lucas alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Brooke immediately scrunched up her nose in disgust as she and Nathan walked into a café which was placed on the pier.

Nathan turned his head and looked at Brooke concerned "What's wrong?"

"Um" Brooke started before taking a deep breath "Can we sit outside?" she asked and Nathan nodded confused.

"Sure" he answered before they walked back out of the café and took a seat on the edge of the boardwalk and looked out at the river. "Everything okay?" he asked curiously.

"Well…" Brooke started nervously, she knew that Nathan would be angry about this but she figured that he would have to eventually find out anyway "I'm pregnant" she decided to just get straight to the point.

Nathan's jaw dropped "What?" he asked in shock.

"I know…I was shocked too" Brooke said with a small smile.

"Shit Brooke" Nathan muttered "This is exactly what I was afraid would happen! That Lucas would end up ruining your life!"

Brooke immediately shook his head "No Nathan…your wrong…this isn't going to ruin my life, Lucas hasn't ruined my life" she said defending her boyfriend.

"Does he know about this?"

Brooke nodded "Yeah…he actually likes the idea of having my baby" she said with a smile.

Nathan shook his head in disbelief "This is…" he trailed not even sure of what to say "Jesus, Brooke!"

"I know" Brooke said with a small laugh "But I believe that we can do this"

Nathan sighed and looked at Brooke intently "Are you sure?"

"Yes" Brooke answered confidently "I know that it will be hard but I don't see why not"

"Well…it's your decision" Nathan said reluctantly "If it's what you want…then…" he started and let out a breath before continuing "Then I guess…I guess I am happy for you". Okay, so he may have been exaggerating the truth there…he hated Lucas and he wasn't the bit happy for Brooke to be having his baby but he had caused enough trouble between the two and at the end of the day all he wanted was for Brooke to be happy.

Brooke gave him a small smile "I know that you're not _really_ happy about it but it means a lot for you to say it"

Nathan let out a small laugh and looked at her with a smile "As long as you're happy"

"I am happy" Brooke smiled "I am"

* * *

Brooke slowly walked towards Lucas's hospital room hoping that Lucas wouldn't be mad at her for going to the cops about Kevin. She finally reached his room and let out a nervous breath before opening the door.

She walked into the room and looked around confused. Lucas wasn't there. She frowned…the bed was made and the room was empty…she didn't understand. All for a sudden a sense of panic rushed through her…what if he had died? What if the doctors had missed something in his scans and operation and he had been killed from it? She looked around the room frantically for any sort of clue for where he might be but then stopped suddenly when she saw an envelope lying on the bedside table with her name written on it. It was Lucas's hand writing.

She slowly walked towards it, anxious and nervous to what was inside and hesitantly ripped it open to reveal a letter. She pulled it up and read it slowly.

_Brooke,_

_You are the best thing that has ever happened to me…but I can't do this, Brooke. I can't…and I am so sorry, all I am going to do is make things worse for you and the baby. You deserve better than me and so does our child. I am not cut out to be father; hell I don't even know how to look after myself. I will understand if you hate me, I hate me for doing this but I know that in the end this is all going to be for the best. I love you so much, Brooke. Please don't ever doubt that…please. I don't deserve you and I am sorry, I really am sorry Pretty Girl._

_No matter what happens you will always be mine even if I will no longer be yours. I will love you forever Brooke Davis. Forever and Always._

_Lucas x_

Brooke placed her hand over her mouth as a sob escaped her lips. She couldn't believe that Lucas has left her. If he really loved her then why the hell would he leave her? She scrunched up the paper in her hand and sat slowly on the bed. What the hell just happend?

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well? Do you all hate me? Should I be scared to post the next chapter? Lol! Please tell me in a review! I love reading them! The more reviews equals the faster updates too lol! (Oh and by the way, I say 'Lol' way too many times so just ignore them!)

**So again, I hope you liked (or hated) the chapter! Either way…please review and tell me what you all thought! Thanks lol!**

**Sara x**


	16. Not Alone

**

* * *

******

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

"Hey" Nathan said with a small smile as he walked into Brooke's new one storied house which her parents had bought her, not wanting their pregnant teenage daughter to be living in their house. "How are you?"

Brooke looked up and glared at him "I'm crap" she muttered annoyed "I look like crap…I feel like crap…and I even smell like crap!" she told him sulking.

Nathan sat down next to her and leant his head down and smelt her much to Brooke's annoyance "Yep, you definitely need to take a shower!" he teased but Brooke didn't find it very funny.

"Shut up!" she groaned frustratingly "This sucks!" she moaned.

"I know" Nathan agreed with a sigh "But you are nearly there…just a couple more days to go, right?"

"Right" Brooke muttered as she looked down at her enlarged baby bump. It had been about 8 months since Lucas had left which made her 9 months pregnant…which meant that this baby was due at any day now. It just happened to be later rather than sooner.

When Lucas left, Brooke was hurt…she was hurt and angry and part of her didn't even believe it…how could he just _leave_ her? She had thought she almost lost him when he was stabbed and she felt so relieved and happy to learn that he would be okay…then days later he leaves again…only this time by his own choice. It made Brooke question their relationship a lot, was it all a lie? Did Lucas really feel as strongly about her as she did about him? Because she didn't think he did. If he did then it would be him sitting next to her right now listening to her complain about how the damn baby wouldn't come out of her yet and not his brother. It should be him who took her to her doctor's appointments and smiled when they saw their baby on the screen, not his brother. It should be him who went out and bought her ice cream at random hours of the day and night, not his brother. But it was his brother, and Nathan had been the biggest help and the bestest best friend that she could ever ask for. After everything that she had done to him by betraying him by being with Lucas, the brunette Scott still stood by her when she needed him the most…unlike his _ass _of a brother.

"I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now but I never got to it" Nathan started as he looked at Brooke.

"Ask me what?" Brooke asked curiously as she rubbed her swollen belly.

"What are you going to do when the baby is born? I mean…school starts again in over a month and it will be our senior year, are you going to come back?" Nathan asked.

Brooke shrugged "I don't know…I mean…maybe…maybe not" she admitted with a sigh "I guess I will just have to see how I handle things" she told him "That's if this kid ever leaves my stomach!" she said speaking down to her bump.

Nathan laughed "You hear your mom, buddy? She's complaining about you already" he smirked. "God help you when you're born!"

Brooke sent him a joking glare "Shut it!"

Nathan held his hands up in defense with a smile but soon turned serious "Have you taken up Peyton's offer yet?" he asked.

Brooke shook her head "No…and I'm not going to, I don't need her charity" she replied stubbornly.

Nathan sighed loudly "It's not charity Brooke" he told her "She's your friend and she just wants to help"

"I know that" Brooke replied "But I need to do this on my own…Peyton won't be around forever, and come to think about it…neither will you"

Nathan shook his head "Actually…we will be" he told her seriously "We are your friends and we are always going to be there. So just…please…think about it"

"She's not going to move in with me, Nate" Brooke sighed.

"Why not?" Nathan asked in annoyance "At least just until you get the hang of things…it's going to be hard looking after a newborn all by yourself" he told her but then realized his words "Well, not by yourself because I will be around here _all_ the time" he promised.

Brooke smiled "I rely on you too much" she admitted.

"Yeah well it has to be someone" he muttered thinking about his ass of a brother, part of him hated the guy even more for leaving Brooke the way he did but honestly, he was happy he was gone and out of her life…Brooke was better without him, and she had him there for her and the baby…she didn't need Lucas.

"But that someone shouldn't be you" Brooke told him seriously "You have your own life"

"Which you are a _big_ part of" Nathan grinned. He wasn't going to back down on this.

"Your dad already hates my guts for how much time of yours I'm taking from basketball, god help me in the fall when the scouts are about" she said with a small smile.

"Don't listen to him" Nathan told her reassuringly "Besides, he is the one to blame for all of this…if he had of used protection back in high school then we wouldn't be in this mess, would we?"

Brooke looked down at the mention of Lucas…well…not Lucas personally, but it was Lucas, wasn't it? She did think this was all a big mess but she wouldn't want it to go away…not anymore, maybe a few months ago when she didn't want the baby anymore, when she wished she had never met Lucas Scott and that she just stuck to her past life…the way things were. But not now, sure…she was scared out of her mind about having a baby, especially alone, but then she remembered that she wasn't alone…she had Peyton and Haley and surprising even Rachel. But most of all, she had Nathan…and he had been the biggest help and she is proud to be giving birth to his niece or nephew, because that's what this baby would be to him…whether he liked Lucas or not.

"Anyway" Nathan continued "Let's shut up about all this crap and get to the good stuff" he grinned.

"Oh yeah?" Brooke asked curiously "Like what?"

"Like how you're going to call the baby Nathan when it's born!" he smirked.

Brooke let out a dry laugh "Not this again!" she groaned loudly.

"Oh come on…little Nathan Davis would rock!"

"And what if it's a girl? You still want me to call her Nathan?" she asked intrigued.

"Well…" Nathan started and pressed his finger against his chin "Maybe you could use Nathan as a middle name? You know…like those celebrities that gave their babies weird names, you could just name your girl with a boy's middle name"

Brooke chuckled and shook her head "I don't think so"

"Oh come on! Why not? That baby would be as proud as hell to be named after me!" Nathan grinned.

"Oh really?" Brooke asked intrigued "And what happens when she goes to school and everyone teases her about having a boy's name?"

Nathan frowned for a moment before smiling "Just send the jerks to me and I will sort them out!"

Brooke snorted "Yeah right" she accused "Then my baby girl would be named after a child beater!"

"Well then we will get Dan to do it!" Nathan said seriously but also with a wide smile "Then he can go to prison and we would never have to see him again"

Brooke laughed "You seem to have everything worked out don't you?"

Nathan shrugged "Maybe" he smiled.

* * *

The music was loud. The crowds were loud. Everything was loud. He stumbled his way through the large amounts of people to step outside and take some air. He looked around from his place by the door and took in the way the bright lights seemed to lighten up the dark sky; he pulled out a cigarette wrap before lightening it up and placing it sharply between his lips.

"Hey…want some company?" A small blonde approached him with a seductive smile. He looked at her then back at a small group of girls who seemed to be watching with schoolgirl giggles.

He eyed the blonde in boredom and shook his head "No thanks" he told her as politely as possible.

"Oh come on…you are looking rather lonely standing out here all by yourself" the girl pointed out with a smile "My name is Paige"

"Nice to meet you Paige, but I'm not interested" he told her curtly.

"What? You have a girlfriend?" Paige asked curiously. He shook his head. "Well then what is it?"

"I don't like blondes" he told her simply yet sternly and Paige took a step back slightly but the smile remained on her face.

"Maybe I can change that" Paige told him with a seductive smirk. "I think I could change your mind if you buy me a drink"

"I don't think so" he told her. He was starting to get annoyed now…couldn't she see that he wasn't just the least bit interested?

"Well can you at least tell me your name?" Paige asked sweetly.

He frowned "If I tell you my name will you leave me alone?" he asked seriously but the girl kept the smirk plastered on her face and he just wanted to scream at her that it wasn't that he is playing it cool and hard to get, it was that he is _not interested_. There is a big difference.

"Maybe"

"Well then I guess there's no name" he said with a shrug and let the smoke flow out of his mouth into the hot summer air.

"Okay" Paige nodded "I will leave you alone if you tell me your name"

"Lucas" he answered simply.

"Lucas" Paige smiled "I like that name"

Lucas didn't answer her as he looked around uninterestingly, couldn't this girl take a hint?

"Well" Paige smiled taking a step back "I guess I will see you around…Lucas" she finished before walking back to her group of friends.

"I don't think so" Lucas muttered quietly to himself before putting out his cigarette and walking back into the crowded nightclub.

* * *

"Oh crap" Brooke mumbled as she looked down to the small pool of water that lay underneath her. She had been having pains all day but she just figured that it was normal…she never actually realized that she might happened to be going into labor.

Haley's eyes widened "Okay…um…okay…what do I do?" she asked nervously as she looked around the empty Rivercourt.

"Jeez, I don't know" Brooke thought with sarcasm "Take me to a freekin hospital, idiot!"

"Right" Haley nodded taking a breath "A hospital…okay…um…how?"

"Damn it where is Nathan with that damn chocolate?" Brooke asked in frustration.

Haley finally convinced the brunette to get some much needed fresh air since she hadn't left the house in about a week, claiming that she looked like an ugly oversized whale. However Haley somehow convinced her to go for a walk with her and they ended up at the Rivercourt where Nathan was shooting hoops. Brooke soon had a craving and sent her brunette friend to the store to buy some chocolate…typically once he had gone; with a car…her baby decided it would be the right time to come out! Damn those Scott genes!

"Are you really thinking about chocolate right now, Brooke?" Haley asked in disbelief. She was panicking…her friend was going into labor yet all she could think about was chocolate?

"No you fool!" Brooke hissed "I'm wondering where his fat ass is with that damn car! He is such an asshole!"

"Oh…right" Haley nodded not taking any notice to Brooke's cursing or bitchiness. "Well…maybe we should call an ambulance?"

"Why? So they can waste their time taking me to a hospital when there are people getting beaten up or stabbed or strangled to death by some bitchy pregnant fat lady who is really getting angry with the fact that a _tutor_ doesn't seem to know how to handle this!" Brooke shouted in frustration.

"Well it's not my fault!" Haley pouted "Nathan is the one who took the damn car!"

"And you were the one who convinced me to come on a walk!" Brooke argued

"Because _you_ were complaining about turning into a hobbit that never leaves your home!" Haley defended.

"Yes, because Rachel told me that I was starting to look like one!" Brooke explained with a raised voice "A fat one!"

"Well then its Rachel's fault!" Haley accused.

"Fine!" Brooke shouted.

"Fine!" Haley shouted back.

"Hey guys what's up?" Nathan asked casually as he stepped outside of his car with about five different types of chocolate in his hands…in fear that he had picked the wrong kind for his hormonal best friend.

Both Brooke and Haley turned to face him with their hands on their hips and looked at Nathan in frustration, annoyance and a little anger.

Nathan's smile fell at the glares on their faces, wondering what the hell he had done wrong this time.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Brooke panted as Nathan and Haley helped her into the hospital.

"Can we get some help here please?" Nathan shouted to nobody in particular and soon a nurse appeared with a wheelchair before placing Brooke in it gently.

"Damn I am going to kill Rachel for this!" Brooke hissed in anger as the nurse wheeled her through the halls.

Nathan looked clueless as he and Haley walked fast on each side of her "How is this Rachel's fault?" he asked confused.

"Because Nathan…it just is!" Brooke shouted back in frustration.

"I don't get it" Nathan muttered still confused as hell.

"Oh for god's sake, Nathan!" Haley shouted cutting in and Nathan looked at her stunned by her tone of voice "If Brooke says its Rachel's fault then its Rachel's fault!" she spat "_Okay_?" she warned and gave him a look to say 'If you don't agree with me then I will kick your ass!'

"Okay" Nathan mumbled confused…he didn't realize he would have to deal with two crazy women.

* * *

"Wake up!"

Lucas grumbled and slowly opened his eyes "What?" he asked with a frustrated but tired voice.

"When are you going to get a job?" His roommate, Carl, asked. Carl was 24 years old, making him seven years older than him…it was a big difference when it came to maturity.

"I pay my share of the rent, don't I?" Lucas muttered annoyed as he sat up.

Carl nodded "Yeah you do…by selling drugs" he pointed out "You have already had the cops here once before, I don't want it to happen again" he warned.

"It was one time!" Lucas defended "Besides, they didn't even find anything and it's not my fault that somebody dobbed me in!"

"But I doubt it will be the last" Carl told him "This isn't the little small hicks town you came from. This is New York City which means that there are going to be a lot more people who will give your name to the cops to save their own ass"

"Fine" Lucas sighed annoyed "Let me take a shower and I will go looking this morning"

"Good" Carl said and was about to leave him room but stopped "And by the way, it's half past one in the afternoon…it's not morning anymore" and with that he left Lucas's small bedroom.

Lucas rolled his eyes before getting up to get ready…he knew he had to search for a job, if anything, just to get Carl off of his back.

* * *

Peyton and Rachel rushed into Brooke's hospital room in a panic. "We got here as fast as we could!" Peyton panted as she looked around the room.

Rachel looked confused, there was no screaming baby…no screaming Brooke…no screaming doctors and no screaming nurses. "Have we missed the birth already?" she asked confused.

"No" Brooke huffed "The baby hasn't came out yet"

"And apparently it's all your fault" Nathan cut in looking at the redhead.

"Mine?" Rachel asked shocked "How the hell is it my fault?" she asked in disbelief.

Nathan shrugged and pointed to Brooke and Haley "They said so!"

Just as Rachel was about to question how this whole thing was her fault one of the nurses entered the room and immediately frowned at the amount of teenagers standing in the small hospital room. 

"Sorry guys but you all can't stay here" the woman said in a stern voice "Two people at a time…at the _most_"

"Well I'm certainly not sticking around to witness this" Rachel said with a cringe on her face "Not with all the screaming and the blood…not to mention that its apparently my fault" she muttered but winked at Brooke "Come get me when this thing is over" she said and Brooke nodded before she watched the redhead leave the room.

"I think I will go wait outside as well" Nathan mumbled "You probably don't want a guy here anyway"

"No…please stay" Brooke pleaded. She really needed him right now. Nathan nodded with a small smile; he was hoping that she would say that, because honestly, he was so excited to meet this baby.

Haley was the second person to leave the room leaving Brooke with Peyton and Nathan at each side of her while she waited for the doctors to give her the go ahead to start pushing. Her contractions were getting closer and closer to each other each time so she knew that it wouldn't be too long now.

* * *

Lucas sat alone in the apartment he shared with Carl in the middle of New York. He pulled out his cell phone and searched through his old voicemails finding the one message that he had to listen to almost every day. Apart from a photo he carried in his wallet, this was the only thing he had left of her.

_**Hey Luke, it's me, Brooke. Just calling to let you know that I will be able to come to your apartment tonight so don't make any plans. I love you, bye.**_

And that was it, a simple message left by his ex-girlfriend months and months ago…it was even before everyone had found out about them being a couple. But it was the only thing he had and he had to listen to it just so he could hear her raspy voice and the words 'I love you' everyday…because even though the message was about a year old…it made him feel a little better hearing those words come out of Brooke's mouth because he didn't think he would ever hear those words from her again.

He couldn't help but wonder what Brooke was doing right now…was she still pregnant? Had she already given birth? Did she even keep the baby after he left? If she did, was it a boy or a girl? What colour hair and eyes did it have? What was its name? Did it look like him? Or Brooke? How old would it be? 1 hour? 1 day? 1 week? 1 month?

He felt guilty everyday for leaving…but he knew somewhere inside of him that Brooke and this baby would be better off without him, he couldn't sort his life out…he was immature and he wasn't fit to be a father, he just hoped the kid wouldn't hate him the same way he hates Dan, yet somehow he didn't think he could prevent that if it did. He tried not to think about it too much but it always seemed to pop into his head at least once a day…but when it did, he always tried to hurry the thoughts out, he was selfish and he didn't deserve them, which meant that he didn't deserve to think about them…yet that didn't stop him from doing so.

* * *

"Do you think we should call Brooke's parents?" Haley asked hesitantly as she and Rachel sat patiently in the waiting room.

Rachel immediately frowned and shook her head "Pfft…no way!"She scoffed "What a stupid question…tutor girl"

Haley rolled her eyes "But they're her parents. They must care that they are about to become grandparents"

"This isn't 7th Heaven, Haley" Rachel smirked "They don't really give a damn…you know what they did when they found out she was pregnant; kicked her ass to the curb then bought her a freekin house to keep her quiet" she muttered "Trust me, they won't want to know"

"And what makes you the expert? I'm just saying that if Brooke was my daughter and no matter how angry I would be at her for getting pregnant at 17, I would still want to know"

"Yeah but your Saint Haley" Rachel pointed out and was about to continue but Haley cut her off "I'm not Saint Haley!" she defended. Rachel rolled her eyes and continued "Brooke's parents are like my parents…all they care about is their petty reputation"

"Well that's just ridiculous" Haley frowned.

"Sorry for the delayed greeting but _Welcome to Tree Hill_" Rachel muttered while shaking her head "This whole damn town is ridiculous"

* * *

"Oh shut up, Nathan! You asshole!" Brooke shouted at him in pain and frustration.

Nathan's eyes widened, he didn't even say anything wrong…all he said was that he was glad men didn't have to do this. He looked over at Peyton, hoping she would defend him or reassure him or something but she just glared evilly at him. What had he even done this time?

"Jesus!" Brooke screamed as the doctor ordered her to push once more. "I'm trying already!" she shouted at him frustrated "Stop making it sound so damn easy!"

"He's just doing his job, Brooke" Nathan cut in trying to defend the doctor who didn't even seem phased by Brooke's outburst. However, he should have known that opening his big mouth would have caused even more trouble.

"Screw you Nathan Scott! This is your damn genes that got me here in the first place!"

Nathan looked shocked. "How is this my fault? Lucas is the ass who got you pregnant, hasn't the idiot ever heard of contraception?"

Peyton immediately scoffed "You are one to talk, Nathan"

Nathan looked up and glared at her "This is neither the time nor the place, Peyton" he hissed through gritted teeth.

"It never is with you!" She thought back "You're such a hypocrite!"

"Me?" Nathan asked in disbelief "You walk around on your high horse all the time, thinking you are so much better than me! Yet…it wasn't just _my_ decision, was it?"

Peyton's eyes blared with fury. When Brooke started to get further along in her pregnancy the two had actually been civil to each other and even somewhat friends as they both wanted to help their best friend through this. But the fact that Peyton could have been the one lying in a hospital bed right now giving birth to the next baby Scott always sat in the back of both of their minds.

"Oh Nathan Scott you are such a jerk!" Peyton screamed angrily.

"Hey!" The doctor cut in "Now is not the time for this…if you two want to argue then take it outside! Can't you both see that we are busy" he barked in a stern and firm voice. He couldn't believe how childish they were acting…for god's sake there was a baby about to be born!

Nathan was about to defend himself but Brooke immediately cut him off "Don't even think about it!" she growled through gritted teeth "I'm the one in pain here! I'm the one giving birth to this damn baby! _Your_ niece or nephew! So why don't you both stop acting like children and grow up!" she ordered "At least until tomorrow!"

"Fine" Nathan huffed and sat down with a pout…he looked over at Peyton and glared at her slightly before turning his attention back to the annoyed brunette beside him.

"I'm sorry B.Davis" Peyton apologized sincerely but before Brooke had a chance to reply another contraction hit and she immediately grabbed Nathan's hand and screamed in pain.

Nathan gasped yet again and clenched his jaw to stop himself for cursing, when Brooke finally let go, he held his hand gently and inspected it to look for any signs of broken bones "You better be the one to explain to my Dad and Whitey why their star player will be out for the start of the season because he has a broken hand" Nathan muttered seriously to Brooke who just rolled her eyes in response. She wondered who would be more immature, the baby or Nathan? It was definitely a close call.

* * *

Lucas cursed under his breath as he hung up his cell phone, yet another job turned down. How did Carl expect him to get a job when he had no qualifications and no work experience? This wasn't Tree Hill…people actually cared about your skills and backgrounds before hiring you. He had tried to get a job in various garages for a mechanic job yet they seemed to lose interest when they found out he was a 17 year old high school dropout and he only knew about cars because his Uncle taught him some stuff as a kid.

If it was Tree Hill then they probably would have hired him…as long as they were well behaved during working hours and knew the basics of what they were doing then you would be hired; simple. Yet here…in the city full of _opportunities_, nobody would hire him because he had no work experience. Yet how was he supposed to get experience if nobody would give him a job? The whole thing was a complete farce.

So instead of calling up another business and wasting his time yet again he simply walked into his bedroom and found his hidden stash of marijuana before walking out of his shared apartment and walking to one of the many seedy bars and clubs he would visit tonight to sell his shit. If Carl asks, he tried his best looking for a job and would do so again tomorrow.

Yeah right, he scoffed to himself…like he would want to waste more of his time.

* * *

Peyton walked into the waiting room with a wide smile on her face. Haley and Rachel immediately stood up, anxious to hear some news after waiting there for hours.

"Well?" Rachel asked impatiently as she eyed Peyton up and down looking for some sort of sign of how it all went.

"She's had the baby" Peyton smiled "Finally" she added onto the end.

"Healthy?" Haley asked curiously.

"Yep" Peyton nodded "Perfect"

"Did Nathan faint?" Rachel asked.

"He got close" Peyton admitted.

"Did Brooke cry?" Haley asked.

"Silently" Peyton told them with a nod.

"Did the doctors threaten to kick you and Nathan out?" Rachel asked again.

"Only about ten times" Peyton shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Has she given it a name?" Haley questioned.

Peyton shook her head "Not yet"

"Is it fat?" Rachel asked seriously.

Peyton let out a dry laugh "No!"

"Wait" Haley frowned "What is it?"

"A baby" Rachel cut in with a duh tone and shook her head before looking over at Peyton "And she calls herself the tutor?"

"No you dumbass!" Haley jumped in scolding Rachel "I mean…is it a boy or a girl?" she questioned looking back at the blonde.

Peyton smiled at her two friends "Why don't you both come in and see" she grinned and led them into the Brooke's hospital room.

* * *

"Oh Brooke she is beautiful" Haley grinned as she leant down and gushed at Brooke's baby girl.

"She is, isn't she?" Brooke grinned proudly as she lightly stroked the side of her daughters face.

"And she has the most stunning blue eyes!" Haley continued.

"Well they certainly aren't from me" Brooke told her with a small laugh.

Haley immediately looked up guiltily "Oh Brooke, I am so sorry…I didn't mean to mention him" she apologized hoping that she hadn't upset her friend.

Brooke instantly shook her head "Don't be silly Hales" she told her reassuringly "She is Lucas's daughter whether we all like it or not…there is no hiding that fact. Or the fact that she is going to end up looking like him…whether she is the spitting image or if it's just a little bit of him in her, it doesn't make a difference" she admitted.

Haley smiled with a nod and continued to admire the newborn baby.

"So…" Rachel started "Have you thought of a name yet?" she asked curiously.

"Oo yeah!" Haley cut in anxiously "What's her name?"

Brooke looked at them with a smile and looked down at her baby…there was one name sticking out in her head at that very moment and she decided she would go with it. It just seemed right.

"She has to have a name for a princess though" Nathan jumped in "She is certainly going to be a princess"

"Well duh…I mean with Brooke as her mother!" Rachel laughed "Hell, Brooke still thinks she's a princess"

"I do not!" Brooke defended with a pout.

"Oh just tell us her name already will you?" Haley asked anxiously. She really wanted to know.

"Grace" Brooke smiled as she looked down at her beautiful baby girl "Grace Anna"

"Anna?" Peyton asked surprised and Brooke looked up at Peyton with a warm smile. "You mean…after-"

"Your Mom" Brooke cut her off with a smile "Yeah" she grinned "After your Mom"

"Thank you" Peyton said with a watery smile…tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Grace Anna Scott" Brooke smiled.

"Scott?" Nathan cut in with shock. He didn't look very happy about that.

The room filled into an awkward silence and all that could be heard was the gurgling noises made by the innocent baby lying in her mother's arms.

Brooke looked up at Nathan and looked at him intently "She's your niece too"

"Well…what about Grace Anna Davis, I mean…that sounds cool too!" Rachel cut in trying to stop things from turning nasty.

"No" Brooke said shaking her head "She's a Scott"

"But…" Rachel trailed, she was just trying to say what the others were thinking "But…Lucas isn't here, Brooke" she told her hesitantly.

"I know that" Brooke said calmly before looking back at Nathan and making sure that he was holding her gaze "But her Uncle is…and he is a Scott, and so is Grace"

Nathan gave her a small smile "Scott it is then" he grinned and the other three girls seemed surprised by his sudden change of opinion.

Brooke looked down at her precious baby girl "I guess that's sorted then, huh Gracie?" she grinned and leant down and kissed her forehead softly. Honestly, she was scared out of her mind of being a mom…especially doing this on her own, but as she looked down at her baby girl and her friends around her…she realized that she wasn't alone and maybe she could do this after all.

**

* * *

**

A/N: So, did you all like it? I hope you did, please review and tell me! They always inspire me write more and I really appreciate them, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! It means a lot!

Sara x

Just wanted to say thanks to Katie for helping me pick the gender of the baby lol! It took me a LONG time to decide and I changed my mind about a ZILLION times! And the name too! lol Thanks Katie!


	17. Better Off Without Him

**

* * *

******

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

"Happy birthday to Gracie, happy birthday to you!" The small crowd sang to the little girl sitting at the table in delight. Her chestnut colored brown hair trailing just past her shoulders and her bright blue eyes shined bright as she looked at the candles in awe.

"Come on then Princess, blow them out and make a wish" Brooke gushed as Nathan stood to her side; video camera in hand.

"Like what, Momma?" Grace asked innocently as she looked up at her mother with wide eyes.

"Anything you want" Nathan cut in, smiling down at his precious niece.

"Anything?" Grace asked and Brooke nodded reassuringly "Anything you want baby girl…just make sure you don't tell us" she said reminding her. "Because then it might not come true"

"Okay" Grace answered before looking back down to her pink Barbie birthday cake. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before blowing out the three sparkly candles.

Cheers and clapping sounds where made around the room and Grace giggled loudly, enjoying all of the attention.

"What did you wish for, baby girl?" Nathan asked curiously as he lifted Grace up into his arms.

Grace immediately scolded her uncle "I'm not allowed to tell you that!" she gasped "Or it won't come true!"

Nathan chuckled "Oh yeah…I forgot about that"

"And I'm not a baby anymore! I am three now!" Grace grinned proudly as she held three of her little fingers in Nathan's face.

"Nah" Nathan said shaking his head "You're still my baby!"

"Your silly Uncle Nate" Grace told him in a matter of fact tone "More silly than Rachel!" she giggled and Rachel who was standing a short distance away turned around and gasped.

"Gracie! I thought we were friends?" Rachel gasped in mock horror but Grace just giggled uncontrollably.

Brooke smiled as she watched her daughter interact with her Uncle and one of her best friends…it was times like these that always reminded her just how much she loved them all and was grateful of how much they all cared and looked out for her baby girl.

"What you thinking about?"

Brooke turned her head to see Peyton standing beside her "Nothing" Brooke sighed "She is just growing up so fast" she said in a sad tone.

"I know" Peyton smiled "She is no longer the screaming little baby who kept woke us both up at 3 o clock in the morning" she laughed.

Brooke smiled but it soon faded when she saw the door open. She quickly walked over to him "You're late!" she hissed under her breath.

"Sorry" the guy mumbled "I couldn't get out of the club"

"Yeah well its Grace's birthday…you think you could have at least of taken a couple of hours off to be here!"

"Look I said I was sorry!"

"Yeah…whatever Chase" Brooke sighed as she looked at her boyfriend tiredly. She had been dating Chase for about a year now. He was great...great with her and more importantly, he was great with Grace. But Chase got a promotion at his work, which meant that he was spending less and less time at home with them and more and more time at one of the new nightclub circuits that had opened in Tree Hill.

"How _is_ the birthday girl?" Chase smiled loud enough for Grace to hear.

Grace squealed in delight and immediately squirmed out of Nathan's arms and straight into Chase's. "Chase!" she shouted happily and swung her little arms around his neck "Look at my cake! Its Barbie!" the little girl grinned in amazement and led the older brunette towards it.

Nathan rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath before walking towards Brooke. "You just going to let him get away with coming home late to his own step-daughters birthday party?" he asked in annoyance. He didn't like Chase…they just didn't seem to get along, they had nothing in common and a part of him found something a little dodgy about him.

"Not now Nathan" Brooke sighed and folded her arms across her chest "It's not his fault that he had to work."

"When are you going to stop defending him, Brooke?" Nathan asked in annoyance "He doesn't deserve you"

"He loves me" Brooke hissed but Nathan again just rolled his eyes.

"But do you love him?" he asked intently.

Brooke turned at him with a glare "I am not having this conversation with you! Especially not _here_!" she finished before dodging past the other small children who were running wild around her home at the moment and towards her daughter who was still gushing to Chase about her cake.

* * *

"God Brooke, that girl of yours could talk for hours on end!" Haley laughed as she walked into the empty kitchen where Brooke was washing dishes.

"I know" Brooke agreed with a laugh "She never seems to shut up"

"She's amazing though" Haley smiled "I missed you both"

"How is Stanford anyway?" Brooke asked curiously as she and Haley both sat down at the small table placed in the center of the room.

"It's great" Haley smiled "It was everything I thought it would be and so much more"

"But…?" Brooke trailed waiting for Haley to continue.

"There is no _but_" Haley said with a small smile.

Brooke raised her eyebrow and gave her friend a funny look. "Honey, there is _always_ a but"

"Fine" Haley admitted with a loud sigh "It's Nathan"

"I thought it would be" Brooke smiled with a small laugh.

After weeks and weeks of flirting and hesitance, Nathan and Haley finally admitted their feelings to each other and Brooke couldn't think of a better couple that was more suited. However, the end of high school hit them and they were both headed in different directions. Nathan was going off to Duke on a basketball scholarship and Haley was on her way with a full ride to Stanford. The couple tried to make things work with the long distance thing but it wasn't working out so they both decided to end things and stay as friends. And two years later that's what they claimed they still were, however, Brooke knew better and she knew that they both still loved each other.

"I just…" Haley sighed loudly "He says that we are friends" she started "But then he will do something or say something that makes me think that maybe he wants to be more than that…" she trailed "He keeps on giving me mixed signals, Brooke, and I don't know what to do about it anymore"

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Brooke asked but Haley immediately shook her head.

"No…but thanks" she said "We only have like two more years left of college anyway so I guess we will just have to see what happens after that"

Brooke immediately frowned "Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?" Haley asked confused.

Brooke smiled sadly and looked at Haley hesitantly "Nathan isn't going back to Duke next year" she told her softly hoping that her friend wouldn't be upset about hearing it from herself and not her ex-boyfriend.

"What? Why?" Haley asked shocked.

"Whitey is retiring and Nathan wants to take over the Ravens…"

"But…" Haley stuttered "He has the chance to go pro! He could be in the NBA! Why would he want to leave that all for coaching a high school basketball team?" she asked in shock.

"I don't know" Brooke admitted "But the Ravens are in his heart I guess…and I think Tree Hill is where he wants to be"

"Wow" Haley said still in shock "I can't believe it. I bet Dan freaked out?"

"Oh yeah" Brooke laughed "He did…a lot!"

Haley laughed a little before looking down disappointedly "I can't believe he didn't tell me" she said quietly.

"Well…maybe he just…was waiting for the right time?" Brooke asked lamely.

"Stop making excuses for him, Brooke. How long have you known about this?"

Brooke looked down and cringed slightly "Since he got offered the job…"

"Which was when?"

"About two months ago"

Haley scoffed and let out a dry laugh "Still waiting for the right time?" she asked sarcastically.

"Mommy!" Grace screamed as she ran into the room excitedly "Come on! Uncle Nate wants us all the play some games!" she grinned eagerly, immediately grabbing onto Brooke's hand and trying to pull her up.

"Okay baby, you go ahead" she smiled "I will be there in a second" she told her and Grace nodded happily before running back out of the room.

"Sorry Hales" Brooke told her softly with a sad smile and patted her shoulder gently before leaving the room.

* * *

"So…I hear you are sticking around this time" Chase stated in a not so friendly voice as he approached Nathan.

"Yep" Nathan said with a nod "I won't be leaving at the end of the summer this year which is a good I guess, I mean…now I will be able to be around Gracie and Brooke more than just the holidays and random visits"

"Well they have managed without you before" Chase pointed out.

"I know that" Nathan said "But I love spending time with them"

Chase clenched his jaw slightly "They don't need you…you know" he told him "Brooke may have depended on you in high school but she has me now"

"Right" Nathan nodded with a slight scoff "You mean…when you aren't working? Right?"

"Shut up" Chase spat coldly "You don't know a thing"

"I do know that you were hours late to Grace's birthday party, man…that girl loves you and you let her down whether she knows it or not"

Chase turned to face Nathan with a glare "Don't you dare judge me man! I have been around for that little girl a lot more than you have this past year!"

"Yeah maybe so…but I was there for the two years before that! And now, since I'm sticking around…I won't let her down the way you do"

"I'm not her Dad!" Chase defended "So you all can't expect me to act like I am!"

"No thank god you're not her father!" Nathan muttered "Because Gracie _and_ Brooke deserve more than you"

"Get out of my face man" Chase told him angrily and pushed him out of the way slightly "You don't know shit about my relationship with those girls"

"No your right" Nathan said in a threatening voice "But if you _ever_ hurt them…and I mean it, _ever_, I will hunt you down and hurt _you_ twice as much so fast that it will be you crying for your Mommy" he threatened before giving Chase one last glare and walking back into the living room where the party was taking place.

* * *

"Thanks again for letting me stay with you, Peyton" Nathan smiled as he took some of his bags into Peyton's apartment "Dan is seriously pissed at me for not going back to Duke next year"

"It's fine Nathan" Peyton smiled. The two had become pretty close friends…which surprised them both and Brooke considering their history as a couple. Sure, they grew civil when Brooke was pregnant but ever since Grace was born it was as if she brought them closer together but as friends this time…and they both were grateful and appreciated that.

Peyton had decided to stay in Tree Hill after graduation, opting to go to Tree Hill Community College to study art and music…it worked well for her though. She went to college during the week and ran Tric over the weekend. She was happy with her choice and she was enjoying what she was doing.

"It's cool…besides, you will keep me company" Peyton smiled "Everything seems so different this year…I mean, Brooke has her own life now and as much as I always seem to spend time with her and Grace, it just feels like ever since Chase came along and even moved in with them, I feel a little shut out" the blonde admitted.

Nathan nodded in understanding "I don't understand what she sees in that ass…why does Brooke always seem to go for the losers?"

"I don't know" Peyton sighed "But Chase isn't a bad guy, Nathan." She told him "It's obvious that he loves both Brooke and Grace"

"I know that" Nathan mumbled "But I just want the best for them and I don't think that Chase can give them what they need."

Peyton didn't answer deciding the drop the subject, whether Nathan liked it or not, Chase was a good guy and the only flaw she could find in him was that he seemed to be spending more and more time working than with his supposed family…yet for some reason, she didn't think that Brooke seemed to mind about that for herself…just for the amount of time he misses out on with Grace.

Nathan turned on the TV and flipped through the channels when something caught his eye. "Peyton!" he shouted and Peyton immediately rushed into the room.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Look" he said pointing towards the screen "There was a drug raid in one of the clubs in New York and over _fifty_ people got arrested for it!"

Peyton watched the news reader explain the story but still didn't understand what the big deal was "So…"

"So…look at one of the names!"

"Oh my god!" Peyton said in shock as she saw the writing _**Lucas Scott**_ on the list of men and women who were arrested for it. "Do you think Brooke knows about this?" she asked curiously as she continued to watch the TV intentely.

"Why would she?" Nathan snapped.

Peyton shrugged "I don't know…maybe she's watching this right now?"

"Oh crap" Nathan muttered and pulled out his cell phone before slamming in those familiar numbers "Hey Brooke!" he said in a fake cheery voice.

"**Hey Nate" Brooke smiled on the other end as she continued to tidy up all of the mess the kids had made at the party.**

"Hey!" Nathan smiled still in an over cheery voice and it made Brooke a little confused "So…what are you doing?"

"**Just tidying up" Brooke answered simply. "Why? What's up?"**

"Oh…nothing…nothing" Nathan mumbled "Just wondering…are you watching TV?"

"**No…why?"**

"Just wondering" Nathan replied innocently.

"**Nathan…" Brooke said his name, knowing that something was up. "What's going on?"**

"Nothing, Brooke. Why would you think that anything would be going on? I am just checking in" Nathan lied.

"**Nathan, I only saw you an hour ago! Why do you want to know if I'm watching TV?" she asked curiously.**

"No reason, Brooke. Why would there be a reason?"

"**Oh I don't know…maybe because you are acting really suspicious right now"**

Nathan scoffed "Your just imagining things, Brooke"

**Brooke instantly smiled "Yeah I guess so…sorry Nathan, it's been a long day, you know?" **

"Yeah it has" Nathan agreed, glad that she had dropped the conversation.

"**So…what station are you watching?" Brooke asked curiously and in an innocent tone.**

"Oh just Fox News" Nathan said not realizing what he said until Peyton swatted his arm, hard. "Ow!" he gasped in pain.

"**Ha!" Brooke grinned in triumph.**

"Damn it!" Nathan shouted frustrated into the phone "I'm serious Brooke! Don't put that channel on!"

"**Too late" Brooke smirked as she practically ran over to the TV and turned it on, moving the volume up as she did so too. "I don't get it" she said confused "Why would I care about this- Oh" she mumbled.**

Nathan immediately cringed "Sorry Brooke"

**Brooke watched the screen slightly stunned. So Lucas was in New York? And the idiot had gotten himself arrested…served him right, the jackass had it coming! But that didn't stop her tummy from twisting and wondering if he was okay. "Mommy!" Grace's innocent voice echoed through the house and Brooke immediately turned the TV off and turned to her daughter who had just run through the door. "Look Nathan, I will call you back"**

"Wait Brooke-" he started but Brooke had already hung up; he looked to Peyton who did not look impressed.

"Nice one genius!" she muttered with a shake of the head.

Nathan sighed loudly in annoyance "Lucas is the asshole! Not me!" he argued before standing up and walking out of the room annoyed that he let Brooke trick him like that.

Peyton looked back at TV and noticed that they were talking about something else now. She muttered something under her breath to herself before turning it off completely.

* * *

"You are an idiot" Carl said coldly as he and Lucas walked out of the police station.

"Yeah I know" Lucas agreed with a sigh "I'm sorry you had to come and bail me out"

"You're just lucky that they didn't keep you in like they did with some of the other idiots…I mean…are you that stupid, Lucas? I thought you stopped all that shit"

"I needed the money!" Lucas argued.

"For what? You pay your rent with your job at the garage…what else could you need it for?"

Lucas shook his head "You wouldn't understand"

"Try me"

"It's for my kid"

Carl immediately stopped working and turned to face Lucas in shock "You have a kid?" he asked stunned. Lucas had lived with him for nearly four years and the blonde had never mentioned this once.

"Yeah…well…at least I think I do" Lucas muttered shamefully.

Carl frowned confused "I don't understand" he told him "You either have a kid or you don't?"

"Well…I have never actually met it, God, I am calling my baby _it_!" he grunted in frustration "I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl" Lucas admitted sadly "Hell, its mother could have aborted it for all I know"

"So…obviously you don't stay in touch" Carl stated.

"Nope" Lucas told him "I freaked out when I found out she was pregnant, left Tree Hill without saying goodbye and just left a poxy note. I haven't heard anything about Brooke or the baby since" he told him dejectedly.

"Nothing?"

"Not a thing" Lucas mumbled.

"So then what's with the money?" he asked.

Lucas shrugged "I was thinking that maybe someday I will get to meet him or her…and maybe pay Brooke back somehow"

"Money doesn't buy forgiveness, Lucas" Carl pointed out.

"I know that" Lucas grunted "But she would be doing this all on her own and I want this kid to be able to afford to go to college or whatever it decides to do, that was something that I never had the option to do"

"What makes you think she is doing this alone?" Carl asked.

"What?" Lucas snapped.

"Well…how long has it been since you last saw her?"

"Almost four years since I left" Lucas admitted "The kid, if it's alive would be about three years old I'd guess"

"Well what makes you think that she hasn't moved on since then? I mean…I don't want to say this to be nasty, Lucas. But what if that kid of yours is calling somebody else Daddy?"

"No! She wouldn't do that!" Lucas cut in quickly, shaking his head. There was no way that Brooke would do that! But why did the image of Nathan smirking at him appear into his head.

"Why not?" Carl asked seriously "You're the one who left"

"Because it's for the best! Look at me, I am a mess!"

"Maybe…but have you ever wondered what it would be like if you stayed."

"Of course I have" Lucas muttered annoyed "I do everyday"

Carl nodded "Okay" he started "Say…if this Brooke girl will accept your money someday…what makes you think that you will be able to even find her before she does?" he asked.

Lucas frowned "She would be in Tree Hill"

"How do you know that?" he asked in all seriousness…he just wanted Lucas to look at things like a normal person would, he wanted him to live in the real world for once!

"Well…" Lucas started but was unsure of what else to say "Well…where else would she be?"

Carl shrugged "I don't know…She could be anywhere…California, Seattle, Texas…hell she could even be in New York"

"Why would she be in any of those places?"

"College" Carl answered with a shrug "That's where a lot of people your age will be right now, like normal 20 year olds"

Lucas grunted and ran his hand over his head "Why are you saying all of this crap to me?"

"Because you need to grow up, Lucas" Carl told him "I'm serious…you can't keep on acting like this forever" he said in a stern voice before walking into their apartment building but Lucas stopped him.

"You think because your almost thirty that you are so much wiser than me?" he asked coldly.

"Hey! I am 27!" Carl defended "I have three years yet!" he told him before saying "You have a lot to learn Lucas…and a lot of growing up to do" he finished before walking back into the building.

Lucas watched him go and kicked the curb in frustration. Why did he always have to be right?

* * *

"Mommy!" Grace squealed excitedly "Can we go to the park? With my new bike that Chase got me!"

Brooke immediately looked confused "Chase bought you a bike?" she asked surprised turning her attention away from the TV and onto her daughter.

"Yes!" Grace said practically shouting "So can we?" she asked anxiously.

"Sweetie, it's late" Brooke said softly and kissed her forehead "Tomorrow though…I promise" she reasoned.

Grace sighed loudly "But I don't want to go tomorrow" she pouted.

"But baby, it's almost an hour until bed time" Brooke pointed out.

"But I don't want to go tomorrow, Mommy, I want to go now"

"Baby, please…we have had a good day…don't spoil it"

"But I want to go now!" Grace said in a trembled voice and Brooke could see the tears appearing in her daughters icy blue eyes.

"Why don't I take her out, Brooke" Chase cut in walking into the room "Just for fifteen minutes"

"Yeah! Please Mommy!" Grace pleaded desperately and excited "Please!"

Brooke looked up at Chase with a glare then back down at Grace who was poking her bottom lip out. God she was so cute! "Chase" she said through gritted teeth "It's almost eight"

"It's her birthday, Brooke" Chase pointed out "Come on…she is really excited"

"Yes Momma, it's my birthday!" Grace joined in. "Please, just for today!"

"Fine" Brooke sighed giving in "Go and put your shoes on" she forced a smile and Grace squealed with delight before running out of the room. Brooke looked up at her boyfriend and glared "Thanks a lot Chase!"

"Oh come on, Brooke! Lighten up! It's her birthday!" Chase argued "And the summer!"

Brooke shook her head "It's not just that, Chase. I can't believe you bought her a bike!" she hissed in disbelief. "You know we can't afford it!"

"I just wanted to do something special for her!"

"No! You wanted to get one over on Nathan! I know how annoyed you were at Christmas when she liked his present better than yours!" she accused "I don't care about yours and Nathan's little games against each other about who is better but _do not_ bring my daughter into it! Grow the hell up!"

Chase shook his head angrily "It's not about Nathan!" he defended "I just wanted to buy her something that I know she would love"

"Well then buy her a doll! Or a scooter or something!" Brooke told him trying not to raise her voice "I have seen how much that bike costs, Chase! It's too much!"

Chase shook his head annoyed "What's your problem, Brooke? Why are you acting like such a bitch?"

Brooke let out a dry laugh "We can't keep doing this"

"Doing what, Brooke?" Chase asked in a defeated tone "Because I have no idea what to do anymore…you complain about us not having enough money and then when my boss finally gives me a chance at work and lets me move up in the ranks, you still aren't satisfied and complain that I work too much!"

"Yeah you're right, Chase! I can never be happy? Can I?" She muttered, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "I just want things to back to the way they were before, when you first moved in"

"How?"

"I don't know…but…things seemed so much better then…I was happy, you were happy…you didn't work as much…" she trailed with a sigh.

"I _am_ happy, Brooke" Chase said softly as he took a step towards his girlfriend and placed each of his hands on either side of her arms "I promise that things will get better, okay?" he said gently.

"Okay" Brooke mumbled and leaned into his shoulder when Chase brought her closer. "I'm sorry" she whispered.

"I know" Chase said with a small smile "Me too"

"Chase! Come on!" Grace's loud voice interrupted them and Chase pulled away.

"Fifteen minutes, I promise" he said seriously to Brooke.

"Okay" Brooke answered with a nod and walked over to Grace making sure she had her shoe laces on properly. They weren't.

"I can do it!" Grace shouted as she watched her Mom tie her laces the correct way.

"I know you can, baby girl" Brooke laughed "I'm just adding the finishing touches to it! You don't want them falling off, do you Gracie" she smiled.

Grace seemed satisfied with Brooke's answer and watched as she made sure that they were tight enough. "Let's go then Chase!" Grace grinned excitedly and Brooke couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's eagerness.

"Be careful!" Brooke warned as she watched them leave the house.

"Don't worry, we will be" Chase smiled and winked at her before leaving the house.

Brooke sighed as she watched them go for a few seconds before closing the front door and looking over at her cell phone which was ringing from its place by the TV. She walked over and saw _**'Nathan'**_ flashing on the screen but she hit the ignore button not really in the mood to talk to him right now, because she knew who it would be about and she was never in the mood to talk about _him_, especially to Nathan.

* * *

"So…you decided what you are going to do about that life of yours?" Carl asked curiously the next morning as Lucas joined him on the couch.

"Yeah" Lucas sighed "Your right about the drugs…I shouldn't really be selling them, and I know that if the cops catch me again then it will be jail time rather than just a warning and a small fine" he admitted.

"That's good" Carl said "Because if it did happen again then you wouldn't have a home to come back to when you would get back out of that jailhouse" he told him seriously.

Lucas grunted slightly but nodded anyway "Fair enough" he muttered.

"So what about that kid of yours…?" Carl asked curious.

"What about it?" Lucas asked with a shrug. Damn it, he hated the fact that he had to call his baby _it_.

"You don't want to contact your ex and get to know it?" Carl asked.

_Stop calling it IT._

"No" Lucas mumbled "She won't want to see me…besides…I would make a crappy Dad…I already do"

"You don't know that until you try" Carl pointed out. "Your ex might want you in their life"

"Look!" Lucas hissed in frustration "You don't know shit about me or my relationship with Brooke so stay the fuck out of it okay? I don't want to get in touch with them and I don't want to see them!" he shouted frustrated. He was just sick of his roommate going on about how much he messed up his life, he knew that Brooke probably wouldn't want to see him again so he wished that Carl would just shut up about it because he knows nothing!

"Alright man…I was just trying to help" Carl defended.

"Yeah well don't!" Lucas spat in annoyance "Because I don't need it" he finished before storming out of the room.

Carl shook his head in disappointment. Just when he thought the kid was getting somewherem, he did something to remind him just how immature the guy was. The funny thing was though…maybe Lucas was right, maybe whoever this girl was and whoever their child was…maybe they were better off without him.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well? Like it? Love it? Hate it? You guys all know what to do and that is to review! (haha is it me or did that rhyme?)

**Anyway, thanks again for everyone who reviewed the last chapter and even though you's are all pretty much hating Lucas right now, but I want to remind you that he has had no parental guidance while growing up and this chapter pretty much proves that he still needs to grow up and act like a man rather than a teenage boy! Let's hope he realises this on the show too haha!**

**So again guys, thanks for reviewing and please review again!**

**Sara x**


	18. Should He

**

* * *

**

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: Well, in all honesty, I am nervous about posting this chapter...You see, I write ahead for this story so I wrote this a while back...so...if some of you aren't happy with whats going on then well...I don't really know what to say to be honest, but my email link is on my profile if you want to add me and ask me or talk to me about this or whatever lol. I don't know...haha...I am rambling now and I just haven't said what I was going to say at all but well, I dunno lol! Oh man, I'm just going to stop now! Here's the next chapter! **

* * *

"Happy birthday to Gracie, happy birthday to you!" The small crowd sang to the little girl sitting at the table in delight. Her brown hair trailing just past her shoulders and her bright blue eyes shined bright as she looked at the candles in awe.

"Come on then Princess, blow them out and make a wish" Brooke gushed as Nathan stood to her side; video camera in hand.

Grace looked up at her Mom before looking down at the cake resting on the table in front of her. She closed her eyes tight before blowing out the five candles that stuck out from it.

"What did you wish for?" Nathan asked with a smirk. He had done this on her last two birthdays too.

Grace looked up at him and gave him a fake glare "I can't tell you! Uncle Nate, you always do this!"

Nathan chuckled and lifted the girl into his arms "I know baby girl…I'm just teasing you"

"I'm not a baby anymore Uncle Nate! I am five years old now!" Grace grinned proudly.

"I was wondering why you were getting so heavy!" Nathan pretended seriously and pretended to nearly drop her causing Grace to scream loudly.

"Stop it!" Grace giggled loudly and hit her uncle hard on his shoulder.

"Ouy! Why do you always do that?" Nathan moaned and used his spare hand to rub his shoulder gently.

"You're silly!"

"But not as silly as Rachel, right?" Nathan asked with a chuckle and pretty quickly the redhead was by their side.

"Don't listen to him Grace, your uncle doesn't know what he is talking about" Rachel cut in and took Grace from Nathan's arms.

"Yes I do!" Nathan smirked "I know more than you anyway"

"You do not!" Rachel argued.

"Oh god…who is the five year old here?" Brooke asked joining in the conversation "Grace is more mature than you guys…isn't that right Princess?"

"Yes it is Mommy!" Grace smiled proudly "Nathan and Rachel just think they are smart" she giggled.

"Well they aren't smart, sweetie. At least not as smart as us"

Rachel scoffed "Sure Davis"

"Hey! These Davis genes have a history of being wise, if you must know" Brooke told them in a matter of fact tone "Aren't I right, Gracie?"

"You're always right Mommy" Grace grinned and Brooke smiled proudly and turned to Nathan and Rachel.

"See!" Brooke laughed and stuck her tongue out at them.

"Yeah yeah" Rachel muttered while rolling her eyes "She is bias…she is _your_ kid after all!"

"What does brias mean?" Grace asked innocently.

"It's bias baby and it means one sided" Brooke explained.

Grace looked at the adults confused "But Mommy…I have two sides"

The three adults stifled a laugh and Brooke ran her fingers through Grace's chestnut colored hair "How about I explain when you turn six, okay?"

Grace frowned for a moment as if thinking about Brooke's offer before nodding "Okay" she agreed with a grin.

* * *

"So…how are you and Chase doing? You guys good?" Rachel asked as she and Brooke cleared up the house later on that day.

Brooke smiled "Yeah…we are good" she replied honestly. "Things are good at the moment, my store is finally up and running and so far I haven't hit a block with coming up with new designs so everything seems to be going well"

"That's great, Brooke" Rachel smiled happy for her friend "You deserve it"

Brooke smiled and looked out the window to where Peyton was playing with Grace on the grass.

* * *

"Can I tell you something" Grace said innocently as she and Peyton both sat outside out of the house in the front yard.

"Sure squirt, tell me anything you want" Peyton smiled. Grace was a good speaker for her age, not that five year olds couldn't speak properly because they could…but there was something about her best friend's daughter, the blonde always seemed to talk to the kid as if she was an adult even though half the time the younger brunette hadn't a clue what she was ranting on about.

"I didn't make a wish when I blew out my candles" Grace said in a sad tone.

"Aw baby, why not?" Peyton asked curiously as she pulled Grace onto her lap "Could you not think of anything?"

Grace shook her head "I could…but I didn't want to"

"Why not?" Peyton asked a little worried about what might be running through the little girls head.

"Because…" Grace began, her tone becoming quieter "Because it never comes true"

"Maybe it has…you just haven't realized it yet…" Peyton attempted to cheer her up and it was a lame thing to say, how could she know what the girl was wishing for?

"I wished for my daddy" Grace admitted and Peyton's heard sank. She really hated Lucas for this. "But he never came" she told her sadly "I wished for him last year too and the time before that…but he never came"

Peyton struggled with what to say. What the hell are you supposed to say to a five year old little girl whose daddy ran off before she was born? "You know…" Peyton started "Your Mommy didn't really have a Daddy _or_ a Mommy while growing up" she began but wondered if she made the right decision as Grace gasped in horror by hearing this.

"Why not?" Grace asked confused and shocked "Why can't my Momma have a Daddy or a Mommy?"

"She did have them" Peyton backtracked "They were just never there" she explained "That's why _you_ are so lucky to have your Mom…because even though your Dad isn't around, Brooke loves you enough for the both of them" she said softly "And I love you, and Nathan loves you, and Chase loves you, and Haley loves you, and Rachel loves you…you have _loads_ of people who love you, so don't ever doubt that okay?"

"Okay" Grace nodded and wrapped her arms around Peyton's neck "I love you too Aunt Peyton" she muffled into her shoulder.

Peyton smiled and ran her hand down Grace's back soothingly. God, she loved this girl.

* * *

Brooke cringed as Peyton explained to her the conversation she had with her five year old daughter. It was the next day and they both stood in Brooke's store watching as a few customers browse through the clothes.

"I just thought I should tell you" Peyton finished and Brooke nodded gratefully.

"Thanks Peyt" she said sincerely and sighed loudly "She has asked about him before, you know. Lucas…" the brunette told her friend.

"Really?"

"Yeah" Brooke sighed "She wanted to know things about him"

"And what did you say?" Peyton asked curiously.

Brooke shrugged "I just said that I loved her and that someday she would understand" she admitted "I didn't really know what else to say"

Peyton smiled sadly and shook her head "Do you ever think about him?"

"No" Brooke answered straight away.

Peyton raised her eyebrow "Brooke" she questioned suspiciously.

"Peyton" Brooke replied innocently.

"There's no denying how much you loved him"

Brooke shook her head "I don't think it was love…lust maybe…but not love". Honestly, she did love him…of course she did, she was head over heels and when he left her she was heartbroken, she didn't know what to do or what to think about anything. Then she came up to a conclusion; Lucas didn't love her, he used her and she was the idiot who fell for it. But Brooke ended up being the winner in the end…because she had Grace, and she wouldn't give her up for the world.

Peyton nodded along deciding not to talk about Grace's father for much longer…she knew that every time she mentioned Lucas to Brooke, she immediately clammed up so there was no point in trying now.

* * *

"Hey princess" Brooke smiled as she came home later that day where Grace was sitting in the living room watching TV. Brooke sat down next to her and kissed her forehead tenderly "How was your day?" she asked.

Grace shrugged "Good" she answered "Chase took me to the park!" she smiled.

"Well that was nice of him" Brooke replied with a small smile before looking back down to her daughter and lifting her up onto her lap. "Something on your mind, princess?" she asked and ran her fingers through Grace's hair.

"Like what, Momma?" Grace asked as she rested her head onto Brooke's shoulder.

"Oh I don't know…" Brooke started "What about yesterday…what did you wish for?" she asked curiously.

Grace rubbed her eyes slowly before answering "Nothing" she told her sadly.

"Baby" Brooke sighed and kissed her head again "Why not?"

"Because I was scared it would not come true"

"Wishes always come true, baby girl. You just have to be patient" Brooke told her. She didn't know why she was giving her daughter false hope, and she immediately regretted telling her that. Wishes didn't come true, at least not for people in Tree Hill. But she didn't want her child to live like that…she wanted her to believe that she could do anything.

"Not all wishes" Grace whispered.

Brooke sighed and brought Grace closer to her. "Come on…you and I are going out"

"Where?" Grace asked, her sad mood forgotten and replaced with excitement of where they will be going.

"It's a surprise" Brooke smiled and dropped her onto the floor "Go and put your shoes on and I will just go and tell Chase that we are leaving"

"Okay!" Grace yelped excitedly and ran quickly out of the room.

Brooke laughed as she watched her daughter practically sprint out of the room, almost tripping up about two times as she did so.

* * *

Brooke and Grace sat in an ice cream parlor about an hour later. A huge bowl of chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles rested in front of the five year old.

Brooke smiled as she watched her attempt to lick the plate clean…most of the chocolate ended up around her mouth anyway so she wasn't surprised to hear her daughter say "Can I have another one?" Grace asked in the most innocent voice that always got Brooke!

Brooke smiled and looked over at the waitress before winking at her. "Not yet" she said turning back to her daughter and suddenly all the lights went dim.

Grace gasped in shock and turned to her mother in horror…she was never a fan of the dark.

Brooke smiled at her reassuringly and soon the waitress walked into the room with a small cake lit up with five candles in it.

Grace looked at the cake in awe as the woman placed it in front of her. She looked over at Brooke with shock "Is this for me?"

"Yes Gracie, it's for you" Brooke smiled urged her daughter towards the cake "Make a wish and blow them out"

Grace looked up "What should I wish for?"

"_Anything_ you want to wish for"

Grace smiled widely before closing her eyes tight and blowing out the candles "Thank you Mommy! You are the best!" she squealed and ran around the table to hug her mother.

Brooke pulled the smaller brunette onto her lap and hugged her tightly "Anything for you baby girl" she smiled.

* * *

"So what? You're just going to kick me out?" Lucas asked in disbelief as he looked at Carl with anger which grew even more when he turned to see his girlfriend Beth who had moved in a month or so ago. And ever since she did, Lucas was sure that she was waiting for the perfect excuse to get rid of him.

"Look around, Lucas!" Carl shouted annoyed and motioned to the mess of the apartment. There were empty beer bottles everywhere and scraps of food all over the floor.

"It was just a party, Carl" Lucas said with a loud sigh "I will clean it all up! It was innocent, no drugs or any crap like that; I told you I was through with that stuff!"

"This was the straw that broke the camel's back, Luke. When are you going to learn that you aren't a teenager anymore?"

Lucas rolled his eyes "I don't need another lecture from you"

"That's good because I'm not going to give you one. I'm serious, Lucas, pack your things and get out" Carl told him sternly.

"You are going to regret this" Lucas threatened and glared at him heavily.

"And you need to sort your life out! For god's sake! You have a child somewhere!"

"You have a child?" Beth asked in shock.

"Thanks for spilling that out, I told you that in confidence!" Lucas hissed coldly.

"Wow…poor kid, being related to you" Beth spat bitchily and Lucas was sure that if she was a guy he would have hit her so hard right now.

"You want to teach that bitch some manners!" Lucas barked.

"And that's another reason you can't stay here anymore, you treat Beth like crap and honestly I am sick of it!"

Lucas scoffed "She has you wrapped around her little finger and you don't even know it"

"I don't want to hear it. Now go and pack your things and leave" Carl ordered.

Lucas gave him one final glare before storming into his bedroom. He couldn't believe this!

* * *

"Oh Brooke, what is this?" Victoria's stern voice echoed through her daughter store.

"What's what, Mom?" Brooke asked tiredly. It had been a long day and the last thing she needed was one of her Mother's lectures.

"You call this a design? Fashion?" Victoria asked shaking her head "A child could design better this"

"Yeah well maybe it was Gracie" Brooke muttered not in the mood for yet another argument.

"You need to take this seriously, Brooke. Don't you want this company to go far?"

Brooke sighed loudly "I'm happy with the way things are going, Victoria, so why don't you just do your job"

"I _am_ doing my job, it's _you_ who is not" her firm voice said and eyed her daughter up and down "From now on, why don't you give me the designs first before you send them away"

"Mom-" Brooke went to argue but Victoria cut her off, her hand rising to silence her.

"Brooke" She hissed sternly "_I_ have the business sense in this company, not _you_, so leave this to me"

"Fine…whatever" Brooke mumbled not even bothering to argue with her anymore, there was no point…Victoria would get her way, she always did. "But you can lock up, I have to go and get Grace" and with that Brooke grabbed her bag and left the store before Victoria could get another word in.

* * *

Lucas walked out of the room about ten minutes later and walked towards the door. He turned around to see Beth smirking at him and Carl looking at him with disappointment. "You're making a mistake, Carl" he warned.

"I don't think I am, Lucas" he replied back.

Lucas shook his head in disbelief "You better watch your back with that bitch right there…she's trouble" he told him with a smirk on his face. However he did not expect Carl to come towards him and punch him square in the face.

Lucas stepped back in shock. He never thought that would happen. But in a typical Lucas Scott reaction, it didn't take him long to retaliate and hit him back and the moment he did Beth was in his face screaming at him before slapping him hard across his cheek.

Lucas glared at them both in anger and opened the door but picked up one of the glass bottles beside him and slammed it against the wall angrily before walking out of the apartment for good. "That was a big mistake, asshole!" he shouted and left.

* * *

"Nathan Scott! What the hell are you doing to my daughter?" Brooke asked in amusement as she walked into Nathan's apartment to see her brunette friend holding her daughter by the legs with her hanging upside down. It had been a couple of weeks since Grace's birthday and the little girl had seemed so much happier since Brooke surprised her with the second birthday cake.

Nathan looked down Grace who was giggling uncontrollably then back to Brooke who was standing by the doorway. "Oh…nothing" he replied with a small smirk.

Brooke raised her eyebrow and watched as Nathan put her down and the younger brunette ran straight into her mother's arms. "Hi baby girl…has Nathan been mean to you?"

Grace nodded with a giggle "Uncle Nathan has been in trouble!" she said with a gasp.

"Oh yeah?" Brooke asked amused and turned her head to her best friend "How's that?"

Nathan shrugged "It was Haley…again"

Brooke let out a dry laugh "Are you two ever going to sort things out?"

Again, Nathan shrugged "That's up to her…she's the one with the stick up her ass!"

"Why is that hard to believe?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow "Are you sure it's not you being the jerk?"

"Hey!" Nathan snapped defensively "It's not my fault, okay? I do something that I think will improve things between us but it always turns to shit!"

"You just said a naughty word!" Grace gasped and Brooke jokingly covered her daughters ears.

"Sorry" Nathan quickly apologized "I won't say it again!"

"That's what you said the last time!" Grace accused.

"Nathan Scott!" Brooke gasped in mock horror "Have you been cursing in front of my five year old?"

"It was one time!" Nathan defended.

"No it wasn't! He does it all the time, Momma!"

"Gracie!" Nathan groaned in annoyance "You're supposed to be defending me!"

Grace shook her head "I'm not supposed to tell lies"

"Exactly" Brooke smiled proudly "No more cursing in front of my kid, Nate" she warned but winked just to let him know she wasn't _really _angry with him for it, but she still said it in a tone that made him know that she preferred it if he wouldn't use words like that in front of her five year old daughter.

"Yeah yeah" Nathan muttered and picked up Grace from behind "I will remember this the next time it's just you and me" he whispered jokingly into her ear and Grace gasped.

"Mommy! Did you hear that?"

Brooke chuckled "Yeah baby, I heard it…and don't worry…I will give Uncle Nathan a stern talking to later, but right now…we better head out"

"I will pick her up the same time tomorrow?" Nathan asked and Brooke nodded. Since it was the summer, Nathan wasn't at work which meant that he was able to babysit her while both Brooke and Chase were working. He didn't mind though…he loved spending time with his niece.

"Yep" Brooke nodded and picked up Grace's bag "Thanks again, Nathan" she told him genuinely before leaving.

* * *

Lucas gripped the steering wheel of his truck tightly. His knuckles were white and were starting to strain but he didn't let go. He had been driving for hours…he didn't know how long but his car sped through the motorway. He was angry…he had been living in that apartment with Carl for five years and never had one of his roommate's girlfriends come between them. Then of course the perfect Beth came along and soon she was turning Carl against him, especially when the bitch moved in with them.

Carl had warned Lucas on numerous occasions that if he continued to treat his girlfriend like dirt then he would be out on his ass, he just didn't think he was serious. Lucas had thrown numerous of wild parties before and Carl would normally be involved in them, but even if he wasn't he always told Lucas that it would be cool as long as he cleaned up the mess after him. But of course this time, things were different…the party got out of hand and when Beth and Carl had returned home the next morning after a weekend away, they were both not pleased. Lucas apologized immediately and promised to clean up all the messs himself, but Beth must have been whispering in her boyfriends' ear since apparently that was the _straw that broke the camel's back_ in Carl's words. He was an asshole anyway.

Lucas needed to move on; he had been in New York for far too long, he hadn't meant to stay there for as long as he did. The plan was simple, stay in New York for a couple of months to earn some easy cash and then move on to the next city. But then he found things easier there…it was better, lively and busy and he even found himself a decent apartment to stay in. However, he knew that the moment he got in trouble with the cops he should have moved on, yet for some reason he didn't want to leave. Part of him liked it there and another part of him didn't want to let Carl down because for some reason, he actually trusted the guy and Lucas didn't trust anyone. The last person he had trusted was Brooke and he had messed that up…looks like history seemed to be repeating itself with his trust issues.

* * *

"Chase! We're home!" Brooke shouted as she and Grace walked through the door to their house. "Chase!" she shouted again and still no reply. She rolled her eyes slightly realizing that he was probably working late yet again.

"Can I go watch TV, Mom?" Grace asked as she hurriedly took off her coat.

"Sure sweetie" Brooke smiled and watched Grace run quickly into the other room.

Brooke walked up stairs into her bedroom and pulled out some old stuff from high school, she wanted to show Grace some of her Cheerleading trophies as she figured now was a good age to get her interested in cheering. She opened the box and skimmed through some old photos when one came to her attention.

Brooke let out a shaky breath as she looked at a photo of her and Lucas together. They were both smiling and looking into the camera, arms draped around each other protectively and they seemed happy. Lucas seemed happy…but she wondered if maybe his smile was fake, maybe he wasn't as happy as she thought.

"Oh shut up Brooke" she muttered to herself. She didn't want to think about him! She had spent the last five years trying to not think about him. He was an asshole…period. Nothing would change that and she was immature and naive at the time to think that she could. She looked at the photo one more time before stuffing it back into the box and placed it carefully away at the back of her closet.

She would show Grace her Cheerleading memories another day.

* * *

Lucas looked up at the road sign ahead of him and he almost slammed the breaks in shock. _**Welcome to North Carolina**_. How the hell did he end up here? He never thought he would step back in this state again! At least not yet. He didn't even realize how long he had been driving until now. His stomach started to twist and turn as a thought crossed into his mind. _'Should I go to Tree Hill?'_

**

* * *

**

A/N: So...you all know what to do! And that is to review lol!

**Uhm...oh yeah! Like I said before, my email link is on my profile if anyone wants to ask me something about this story, if yous have msn too...? I dunno, I just know that some of yous aren't happy with the way things are going at the moment but hopefully things will start to get better.**


	19. A Bad Dream

**

* * *

******

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: Just to tell you know, Victoria won't be **_**evil**_** in this story but she isn't the nicest of people either...she's just well...Victoria? lol! **

* * *

Lucas parked his truck at the empty River Court and stepped out hesitantly. He was so nervous...he didn't think he could feel as scared for something as simple as stopping in a small town. But it wasn't just any small town; it was the town which was likely to have two certain residents that he was scared to see. The love of his life and his child. His child who he knew absolutely nothing about, was it a boy or a girl? Was it four or five? He had no idea and that killed a part of him.

He had been driving all night to get here yet when he first left New York he had no idea that this was where he would end up. He looked down at his watch and saw that it was still the early hours of the morning which explained why there was nobody here. He should feel tired, he hadn't slept in two nights yet for some reason, he felt wide awake.

He sat down on the picnic table but had no idea what he was supposed to do. Should he just leave again before anybody saw him? Should he go and see if Brooke is still in town? Should he attempt to make things up with her and his child? He didn't know…and he was scared to try and find out.

"Oh my god"

Lucas's head snapped up in fear and looked at the person in front of him. At first he didn't recognize her, she looked so different from the last time he had saw her and even then he didn't know her at all really. She was different though, her hair was brown and short and she looked older. Well what the hell did you expect, Lucas? You have been gone for over five years.

"What are you doing here?" Haley asked in a shocked tone. She had just flown in from Stanford and it was too early to go and see anyone so she decided to go for a walk instead, she sure wasn't expecting to run into Lucas Scott.

"I…" Lucas stuttered unsure of how to answer that. What was he doing here?

"Well?" Haley asked impatiently and Lucas could see that she didn't like him. Well, not that he blamed her.

"Um…" he continued and ran a hand through his hair nervously "I just…I…"

Haley raised an eyebrow "I can see you have a strong vocabulary" she hissed with sarcasm dripping from her voice "Does Brooke know you're here?"

Lucas immediately shook his head "No" he breathed out.

Haley let out a dry laugh "You are unbelievable, do you know that?"

Lucas didn't answer her as he looked down at the floor shamefully and listened as Haley continued.

"You can't just show up here after being gone for over five years! How could you just leave the way you did? That was an assy move, Lucas!"

"I know!" Lucas defended and he wasn't even sure why. He barely knew this girl yet here she was having a go at him about his mistakes. Why was he even listening to her?

"How could you just leave your daughter?" Haley asked in anger.

"Daughter?" Lucas asked surprised and a small smile appeared on his lips "Brooke had a girl?"

Haley scoffed "Yeah…and you would know that if you actually cared enough and stuck around"

"I do care!"

"Yeah right"

"I do!" Lucas argued "I was just scared"

"And what? You don't think that Brooke wasn't?" Haley asked in disbelief and shook her head with a clenched jaw "You are unbelievable…I don't know what she ever saw in you"

"Enough okay!" Lucas snapped. He didn't need this. "Please! Just stop! You don't know anything about me so stop pretending that you do!"

"You're right…thankfully I don't. But I do know a lot about Brooke and I know how much you hurt her by leaving"

"I know that" Lucas mumbled guiltily "And I _am_ sorry"

"That's not enough though, is it Lucas? You know that, I know that and Brooke sure as hell knows that…heck, your daughter probably does too"

Daughter. Wow…he couldn't believe he had a daughter. All this time and he didn't even know the gender of his baby. He wanted to smile at the thought of her…he couldn't help but wonder what she looked like. He hoped that she looked like Brooke. "What's her name?" he asked with a weak smile but it fell at Haley's glare.

"You don't deserve to know that" Haley spat before turning around and walking away without saying another word.

Lucas watched her go and rubbed his face tiredly. He wasn't prepared for this. If that was the reaction he got from a girl he barely knew then he couldn't even imagine how Brooke would react.

* * *

"Mommy!" Brooke groaned and sat up tiredly in bed. She felt like she was about to scream. The phone was ringing, Grace was screaming and somebody was knocking loudly on her front door. She turned her head to see Chase still sleeping and she wondered how the hell he could sleep through this. She looked down at her clock and saw it was only 7am. Who the hell was knocking at this time of the morning? Hell, who was ringing her at this time of the morning!

"Mommy!" Grace's loud cries shouted louder and louder and Brooke got out of bed and quickly made her way into her daughter's bedroom.

"What's wrong sweetie?" She asked worriedly and picked a sobbing Grace into her arms.

"I had a bad dream" she sobbed into her shoulder and Brooke rubbed her back soothingly and kissed her forehead.

"It's okay baby, it was just a dream" she said softly and groaned at the person who was still knocking on her door. She walked down the stairs in just her night gown; with Grace sniffling in into her shoulder as she swung the door open in frustration.

"Great! What are you doing here?" Brooke asked annoyed and left the door open for her mother to follow her inside.

"I've come to pick up your new designs" Victoria explained in her usual bored tone.

"Well now isn't the best time, Mother!" Brooke hissed coldly as she trailed her fingers through Grace's soft hair "It's okay, princess" she whispered into her ear and Grace nodded against her shoulder.

"Brooke" Victoria's stern voice gave her the shivers. She was about to continue but the ringing of her cell phone hadn't stopped yet.

"One second" Brooke said with a fake smile and quickly walked towards her phone and picked it up. _'Haley' _flashed on the screen and Brooke hit ignore deciding to call her back later.

"Now do I finally have your attention?" Victoria asked in annoyance and Brooke nodded with a grunt.

"Sure…go ahead" she said with a sugary fake smile.

"I need your designs so I can send them off to Macy's" Victoria explained.

Brooke looked at her confused "Macy's? Why do you want to send my designs off to Macy's?" she asked puzzled.

Victoria sighed loudly "Don't you ever listen? I told you last week that we have started a contract with them. This is exactly why you can't do this on your own!"

Brooke rolled her eyes "Can we talk about this later? I'm a little busy" she said motioning to her daughter.

Victoria let out a dry laugh and shook her head "Of course dear" her scratchy voice spat and Brooke cringed at her tone. "I guess I will see you at the store later. Don't be late" she warned before leaving the house.

Brooke shook her head in disbelief and looked to Grace who had calmed down. "Isn't Grandma Victoria just the wickedest witch in all of Tree Hill?" Brooke asked in all seriousness and Grace nodded completely agreeing her.

* * *

Nathan awoke groggily to somebody banging on his apartment door. "Alright I'm coming!" he shouted and slowly walked towards the door.

"Glad to see you finally made it out of bed" Chase said coldly as he made his own way into Nathan's apartment, Grace holding his hand by his side. "Did you forget that you were supposed to be watching her today?" he asked and unzipped Grace's coat and looked up at Nathan who was just in a long pair of basketball shorts.

"No I just slept in" Nathan mumbled tiredly. It was way too early to get into an argument with Chase.

"You're silly Uncle Nate" Grace pointed out with a cheeky smile and Nathan nodded in agreement.

"Right…well your Mom will pick you up later, okay?" Chase told Grace with a smile and kissed her on the cheek "And I won't tell her if you trash the place, make as much of a mess as you want" he told her with a smirk.

"Ha ha" Nathan muttered sarcastically. "Are you going or what?"

"Going" Chase answered and made his way past Nathan "Look after her"

Nathan rolled his eyes "I always do" he smirked "Much more than you anyway"

Chase glared at him and looked back at Grace before leaving the apartment.

Nathan smirked and shut the door behind him and walked back towards his niece "So squirt, what do you want to do today?" he asked and Grace looked up at him with a sneaky smile and Nathan suddenly regretted asking.

* * *

Lucas sat silently in his car, still parked at the River Court. He wanted to leave but for some reason he couldn't…maybe he didn't want to?

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a bang on his window and he jumped with fright before turning his head to see Haley's face looking through at him. He sighed and rolled it down and looked at her partially annoyed "What do you want now? Come to shout at me some more?"

Haley sighed not even knowing why she was doing this "So your still here then" she stated, ignoring his question.

Lucas shrugged "Looks like it"

"I just…I wanted to apologize about before" she told him and Lucas looked at her surprised but waited for her to continue "Look, I don't know you personally but I do know about you and what you did to Brooke was not right" she told him seriously and Lucas nodded guiltily "But everybody makes mistakes and your back now, right?"

Lucas sat silently for a moment. Was he back? It wasn't like he planned to come to Tree Hill…he didn't realize he even entered the state until he saw the signs. But maybe deep down he knew he was going to come here…he had to have known which way he was going; it was all just too much of a coincidence. After a long pause Lucas let out a breath before answering "Right" he agreed.

"Well…I'm not saying that Brooke will be happy, because honestly, I don't think she will be" Haley told him "Hell, she probably won't even want to see you and she certainly won't want you to see her daughter but I guess…if you're serious about this then I think…" she trailed unsure of what to say next "I think that you should try and fight to come back into their lives…I mean…that's if you want to?"

"I do" Lucas got out quickly before he even realized what he had said. "I think about Brooke everyday…and my child"

Haley sighed "I'm not saying it's going to be easy. They have both built up a life that does not include you…"

Lucas listened as Haley continued her little speech. He wasn't really listening anymore…her words hit him hard. Brooke and his daughter had a life that did not include him and he was surprised at how much that hurt him to hear that. Sure, he thought about it and he couldn't expect Brooke to wait around for him to come back…_if_ he was ever going to come back. But to actually hear the words out loud that the woman he loves and the child he has never met nor seen before in his life, have their own life without him…that they don't include him in…he can't deny that it hurts.

"So yeah" Haley finished "It's going to be hard…but if you're determined and you're serious about this then don't give up"

Lucas nodded thankful for the help…he had a feeling that Haley would be the only one willing to help him and he was grateful for that, _really_ grateful. "Thank you, Haley" he told her sincerely and Haley nodded with a small smile before taking a step back.

She was about to walk away but stopped and turned around to see Lucas still watching her "Oh and by the way…" she started and gave him a small sad smile "Your daughter's name is Grace" she finished before leaving.

Lucas smiled and looked down "Grace" he said to himself in barely a whisper. He liked that name.

* * *

"I can't believe I am doing this!" Nathan muttered.

"Ssh!" Grace scolded "You're ruining it!" she said and swatted his arm before reapplying the lipstick onto his lips.

"Yeah well I am a fully grown man, Gracie, I am not supposed to wear makeup" he told her seriously but Grace just giggled.

"It makes you look pretty"

Nathan groaned but continued to let her put makeup all over him. He had a major soft spot for this girl and he would do anything for her…all she needed to do was give him the infamous Davis pout and cute puppy dog eyes and he was done for.

"Mommy always lets me put makeup on her" Grace told him in a matter of fact tone "She said I make her look pretty"

"Well your mom is pretty…and she is a _girl_" Nathan told her stretching out the last word "I am a _boy_" he pointed out "Do they not teach you anything in pre-school these days?"

"Yes silly!" Grace laughed "But this is fun"

Nathan rolled his eyes "Well it's not my idea of fun"

"But you made me play basketball with you yesterday and I don't like that!" Grace told him.

"Gracie, we played it for ten minutes and you touched the ball _once_! You didn't even give it a shot!" Nathan argued but Grace just stuck out her tongue at him, a gesture that he quickly returned.

"Wow, how mature!" Peyton's voice echoed through the apartment and Nathan immediately groaned.

"How did you get in?" he asked, not turning to face her yet.

"The door was open" Peyton explained and halted before laughing loudly as Nathan eventually turned around "Wow Grace, nice job!" she got out between breaths, Nathan sat glaring heavily at her.

"Thanks!" Grace grinned proudly "Turn back around, Uncle Nate! I'm not done!" she ordered bossily.

Nathan pouted "This is so unfair!" he groaned and pouted even more as he heard Peyton's laughter escalate "What are you even doing here, Peyton?" he asked in annoyance.

"Well I just wanted to see if you guys wanted to come and get some lunch with me, but now I'm not so sure…I mean…I don't really want to go out in public with you looking like _that_!"

"Well then you have nothing to worry about because there is no way in hell that I am leaving the house in this state!"

"Why not?" Grace asked disappointedly.

"Because Uncle Nathan is a baby!" Peyton joked and picked up Grace "Come on…lets go get you washed up, you have makeup all over your hands!" she laughed as she carried the small brunette towards the bathroom.

"Yeah and I have it all over my face!" Nathan called after them and looked into the mirror in horror but he couldn't stop a small smile forming onto his lips at his niece's antics.

* * *

Lucas drove around the streets of Tree Hill deciding on what the hell he was supposed to do now. Should he go and see Brooke? Where the hell is she even at anyway? He didn't know. He didn't know a thing.

He parked the car on one of the main streets before getting out and walking along the street as noticed there were a lot of new stores and nightclubs; maybe Tree Hill was improving after all. He suddenly felt thirsty and he was tempted to go and get a beer. He looked down at his watch and saw it was only 3'oclock; it wasn't that early was it? Just one drink to settle his nerves and then he would try and do _something _even if it was something as simple of trying to find somewhere to sleep that night other than his car.

Lucas took a step into one of the new nightclubs and immediately was taken aback. This was like some of the clubs he had been to in New York, he didn't think Tree Hill would ever be able to have places like this but obviously he was wrong. He looked around and it wasn't that busy which was reasonable for being a Tuesday afternoon, he slowly walked towards the bar and sat on the stool. The bartender gave him his beer he ordered and he soon drank it in almost one go, he was really thirsty. The first beer soon turned into another one and then five or six and soon he felt himself feeling rather tipsy. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

* * *

"No! That is simply not good enough!" Victoria screamed into Millicent's face before storming off into the office at the back of the store.

Millicent was Brooke's personal assistant, she really liked the girl. She was quirky yet shy and she was very sweet and always offered to help whether it had something to do with work or personal problems. Millicent had become a really good friend to Brooke for the past six months that the store had been running. Brooke had set up the website right after Grace was born but she only turned the place into a store until recently.

"Just ignore her Milli" Brooke sighed as Millicent hesitantly approached her "I don't know what's up her ass today"

Millicent nodded but decided not to say anything just in case Victoria was sneaking about and listening to their conversation. "So how is Gracie today?" she asked deciding to change the subject.

Brooke smiled at just the mention of her daughter, she always loved talking about her…she liked to brag about how amazing she was and that she couldn't ever ask for a better baby girl.

"She's great" Brooke smiled "She seems to be getting cheekier and smarter by the day and sometimes I wonder if she is smarter than me" she joked but was also actually quite serious. Grace was one very smart five year old and she figured it had something to do with growing up with a small group of close adults. Between Haley's brains to Peyton's sarcasm to Rachel's quick wit, the little girl was coming up with better comebacks than herself.

"She sure is a character, that one" Millicent admired "Very mature for her age" she pointed out.

"Trust me, that's what worries me" Brooke admitted with a small laugh "I don't want her acting older then what she is when she reaches High School!"

Millicent smiled reassuringly "Don't worry, Brooke. She will be fine"

"Yeah" Brooke settled with a smile "Well…we best get back to work…"

* * *

"Can I have another one?" Grace asked sweetly as she, Nathan and Peyton sat on the pier eating ice cream.

Nathan frowned and picked up Grace and eyed her stomach suspiciously "Where does all of it go?" he asked jokingly before blowing raspberries into her stomach.

"Ah! Uncle Nathan! Stop!" Grace squealed loudly. "Stop!" she giggled.

"Nathan! Leave her alone, come on she has just had a full cone of ice cream, she might be sick" Peyton warned.

"Ew" Nathan cringed and immediately put Grace down "We don't want that to happen do we, squirt?" he asked with a smile and Grace shook her head in agreement.

"So can I?" she asked with her puppy dog eyes and Nathan sighed and looked to Peyton for help, she knew he couldn't resist that look.

"What would your Mom say?" Peyton asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She would let me!"

"Really?" Peyton asked amused "So if I rang her up right now and ask her will she agree with that?"

Grace squinted her eyes in thought and shifted from one foot to the other deciding on what she should say to that. "You shouldn't ring my Mommy at work, she is busy" the five year old told her in a matter of fact tone.

"Oh really? Well I am sure she can make an exception for me" Peyton grinned and pulled out her cell phone.

Grace watched with wide eyes as Peyton brought the phone towards her ear.

"Ring ring" Peyton said for dramatic effect. She wasn't really calling Brooke; she just wanted the younger brunette to think she was.

"No stop!" Grace screeched and Peyton smirked before 'hanging up'.

Nathan chuckled and shook his head "So you don't think your Mom would agree?" he asked amused.

Grace pouted "No"

Peyton smiled "I thought so" she smirked "Nice try though"

"Yeah" Nathan agreed "And for your efforts, I think you deserve another cone!"

"Nathan!" Peyton gasped in disbelief.

Nathan shrugged "What? She is my niece, I am allowed to spoil her if I want to" he told her.

Grace grinned "Thank you Uncle Nate!" she gushed before kissing Nathan on the cheek "You are the best uncle ever!"

"He's your only uncle" Peyton pointed out.

"That's not the point, Peyton" Nathan told her and placed Grace onto his shoulders "Come on, let's go get another one!"

"Yey!" Grace squealed happily.

Peyton rolled her eyes and followed but she couldn't help but let out a laugh. Nathan really did spoil that little girl.

* * *

"Another one!" Lucas called to the bartender and slammed his bottle against the counter. So he may have had way too many beers than he should have but he couldn't help it. He felt like crap.

"I think you have had enough" The bartender pointed out.

Lucas grunted "Well I disagree!"

"How about a coffee?"

"How about you get me a damn beer like I asked!" Lucas ordered with a loud cold voice.

"Look man, I'm not going to serve you like this. Let me call you a cab"

"Fuck you man!" Lucas shouted "I don't want a cab! I want another beer!"

"Is there a problem here?" a guy in a suit asked as he approached the duo.

Lucas rolled his eyes and looked at the guy with a frown "This jerk won't get me a beer!"

"It's cool, Chase…I've got this" The bartender explained.

"Yeah _Chase_, he has this" Lucas spat in a icy tone.

"No" Chase said sternly and shook his head "Go on, get out of here!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me…get your ass out of here!" Chase ordered.

"Or what? Huh?" Lucas challenged and stood up which made him a lot taller than the brunette "What you going to do?"

Chase immediately clicked his finger and soon two big bartenders were buy his side "Get this loser out of here" he told them before looking back at Lucas with a glare and walking away.

The two big guys grabbed a protestant Lucas by his arms and led him out of the club before pushing him into the streets.

"Well fuck you!" Lucas shouted "This place is a shit hole anyway!" he shouted after them but they just ignored them before walking back into the club. "Assholes" he muttered to himself before squeezing his eyes tight shut. Whoa…he felt really dizzy! He slowly began to walk along the streets, the evening sky giving him a slight shadow.

* * *

"Are you sure your okay with locking up?" Millicent asked as she gathered her things up and put on her coat.

Brooke nodded with a laugh "Of course" she smiled "You go home and relax, okay? You have been working hard all day"

"Thanks" Millicent smiled gratefully before leaving the store.

Brooke turned around and looked through all of the books. Business had been booming all weekend and the beginning of the week and she felt proud that she owned a large percent of the business. Yes, a large percent…Victoria owns a small part of it which was one of the reasons that Brooke let her boss them all about so much.

--

Lucas walked unsteadily through the main street and suddenly came to a halt. There she was. Brooke Davis. He rubbed his eyes, unsure if he was seeing things. He slowly crossed the road, luckily not to get run over in his drunken state and as he grew closer it became more apparent that it was Brooke who he was looking at.

The light was on which made it easier for him to see her, she had shorter hair but it was still beautiful. She _is_ beautiful and she looked more amazing than ever. He didn't know what was going on but his feet led him up the small amount of steps and slowly entered the store. The bell on the door ringing as he did so.

"Sorry, we're closed" Brooke's voice called out without turning around, her concentration on the paperwork in front of her.

Lucas smiled at the sound of her raspy voice. She looked good…really good. Amazing.

Brooke frowned confused at the silence of whoever it was; she turned around curiously but gasped loudly in shock at who was standing before her, the papers in her hand flying straight onto the floor.

"Lucas" she breathed out, her eyes wide and her hands shaky, was this real? She wasn't sure if she was seeing things or if Lucas Scott was actually standing before her. This had to be a dream...a bad dream.

"Hi Pretty Girl" Lucas let out with a small nervous smile.

**

* * *

**

A/N: I hope you all liked it, please please review! I love reading all your comments, the mean a lot!

**Sara x**


	20. Sweet Dreams

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

Brooke looked at Lucas in shock. The store was completely silent and the two ex lovers stood just a few feet from each other, neither said a word but so many thoughts were running through their minds. Brooke blinked hard to make sure that she wasn't seeing things but she knew that it really was him. The guy who she loved but he had left her to raise his child alone.

"What are you doing here?" Brooke asked nervously. She was still in shock but someone had to speak and since all he seemed to be doing was standing across from her gawping, she figured it would have to be her to make the first move. Typical.

Lucas smiled even wider at the sound of her voice yet again and Brooke looked at him in disbelief. Was he seriously smiling at her? Of course, she didn't know the alcohol probably played a major part in that but she didn't know, did she?

Brooke took a step back as Lucas walked towards her, he didn't care though. He continued to close the gap between them before placing each of his hands on the side of her face and crashed his lips against hers.

The brunette was taken aback; she was not expecting that at all. After a seconds hesitation she pushed him off of her before raising her hand and slapping him hard across his face.

Lucas gasped in pain and clutched his cheek tightly, that was the second time this week he had been slapped like that. He looked at Brooke in shock and he certainly wasn't expecting her to hit him again!

"You asshole!" Brooke screamed angrily and went to slap him for the third time but Lucas quickly stepped back and held her wrist to stop her.

"Stop it!" he grunted with a slur and pushed her wrist away and rubbed his cheek soothingly.

"What? You think you can just walk in here and _kiss_ me?" she asked, screetching angrily and Lucas looked down ashamed. Okay, so that may not have been his best move. "Who the hell do you think you are!"

"I'm sorry" Lucas weakly replied "You just look so…so…amazing"

Brooke scoffed "So what? You thought you would kiss me? Did you honestly expect me to kiss you back? God damn it, Lucas! I hate you!"

Lucas's head snapped up and looked at her stunned. She hated him? Those words hurt him bad…he felt crushed. He also felt really dizzy and he really needed to sit down. "I…" he stuttered helplessly "Brooke…I'm sorry"

"Yeah right" Brooke muttered and let out a scoff, but she did notice that he was drunk "What are you even doing here? You left!"

"I know!" Lucas grunted "But now I'm back"

"Oh well that's just great!" she hissed, sarcasm dripping from her voice "Why don't we just go back to the way things were. I mean, Lucas is back! We can all be happy again!" she shouted sarcastically and threw her arms up for effect.

Lucas cringed at her tone and rubbed his temples soothingly "Please don't shout" he mumbled.

Brooke sighed and took in his appearance; he really did look a mess. "I think you should go lie down" she muttered pointing towards the couch that was placed towards the centre of the store.

"Yeah" Lucas's muffled voice replied and he sat down slowly before lying down completely and closing his eyes.

Brooke watched him and let out a shaky nervous breath. She couldn't believe that Lucas Scott has just passed out on her couch drunk in the middle of her clothing store. Hell, she couldn't even believe that he was back. This had to be some sort of dream…sadly…she knew it wasn't.

* * *

Nathan sat watching a basketball game on the TV and turned every now and then to look at Grace who was laying on her stomach on the floor coloring into one of her many notepads. Grace looked up at her uncle, her face full with concentration and squinted her eyes to look at him better.

Nathan felt her eyes on him and looked down at his niece; he couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh at the way his niece was staring at him. "What's up Gracie? Do I have something on my face?" he asked self consciously.

Grace shook her head "I'm just watching you"

"Why?" Nathan asked with a dry laugh "I don't think I'm _that_ interesting"

"No silly! I'm drawing you!"

"Oh! Right!" Nathan smirked "Can I have a look?" he asked as he leaned over to try and sneak a peek.

"No-oh!" Grace gasped and covered the book with her hands "Not until it's finished!"

"Fine" Nathan sighed loudly before winking at her and turning back to the TV. "But your Mom should be here in any minute so you better pack your stuff away" he told her and Grace nodded and quickly stood up before skipping off to collect her things.

* * *

Brooke stood from her place outside the counter and watched as Lucas slept deeply on the couch. The room was completely silent except for the light sound of his heavy breathing. She slowly placed her fingers onto her lips lightly, from where he surprisingly kissed her a couple of hours ago. She couldn't believe he had done that.

"Damn it" she muttered when she realized she was supposed to pick up Grace from Nathan's over an hour ago. She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed his number.

"**Brooke…hey, where are you?" Nathan asked curiously. She normally would have been to pick up Grace by now.**

Brooke sighed loudly "I'm still at the store…" she trailed not sure what she should tell him "Something has…come up" she weakly explained and looked over at Lucas who was still sleeping on her couch.

"**Oh yeah?"**

"Yeah, it's nothing I can't handle…but I will be working late so do you think Grace will be able to spend the night? Chase is working night shift and I really don't want to interrupt her later if she's sleeping"

"**Yeah Brooke, that's cool" Nathan replied "Are you sure your okay? You sound a little freaked out"**

"It's just been a long day, nothing to worry about" Brooke reassured him.

"**You sure?" Nathan asked again, she really sounded shaken up.**

"Yeah…I'm fine, thanks for watching Grace though and kiss her goodnight for me"

"**I will" Nathan smiled "See you tomorrow then?" he asked.**

"Yeah, thanks again Nate, bye" she finished before hanging up. She rubbed her forehead tiredly and looked again towards Lucas. How the hell was she supposed to handle him?

* * *

"Hey" Nathan said with a small nervous smile as he opened his front door surprised "What…what are you doing here?"

Haley shrugged as she nervously made her way past him "Sorry it's late…I've just had a load of things to do today but I really wanted to come and see you"

"Well now's not really the best time, Hales" Nathan admitted apologetically as he motioned towards the five year old who was eating grilled cheese at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

Haley looked over to the small brunette and immediately thought about Lucas, she couldn't help but wonder if Brooke knew he was back in town, she had tried to warn her earlier but she later decided that her friend should hear it from Lucas himself. She felt bad for Grace, she didn't deserve to be caught up in the drama that her life was a part of and she certainly didn't deserve the drama that would soon follow with her father's return to Tree Hill.

"Brooke had to work late at the store" Nathan explained, since he assumed Haley was wondering why the little girl was there so late "So she asked me if Grace could stay the night"

Haley nodded "Did Brooke seem okay?" she asked hesitantly, trying not to give too much away.

Nathan frowned "Why? Has something happened?" he asked curiously and urgently.

"No" Haley quickly denied "It's just I heard she had a long day at the store and Victoria was probably on her case again" she explained hoping Nathan would buy it. Luckily he did.

Nathan sighed and shook his head "Victoria can really be such a bitch sometimes" he muttered.

"Sometimes?" Haley asked with a laugh and Nathan laughed along too.

"But she did sound a little shaken up on the phone" Nathan admitted "I just figured she was tired or something"

"Yeah" Haley told him reassuringly "Maybe"

* * *

Lucas slowly opened his eyes groggily and looked around his surroundings confused. Where the hell was he? He rubbed his eyed tiredly and suddenly the memories hit him hard in the face. He was back in Tree Hill…he is Brooke's store! Or, what he assumed was her store.

"Here!" Brooke's cold voice awoken him from his thoughts and he flinched slightly as Brooke slammed the coffee on the small table in front of him.

"Thanks" Lucas mumbled and took a small sip before looking back up at Brooke who did not look happy "How long was I out for?"

"A few hours" Brooke answered curtly.

"Right" Lucas murmured, not failing to notice how cold her tone was, but he couldn't really blame her, could he?

"What are you doing here?"

Lucas shrugged "I don't know" he admitted lamely and Brooke scoffed and shook her head in disbelief.

"You _don't know_? Are you fucking kidding me, Lucas?" she asked amazed. "You can't just come in here after being gone for over five years and try to kiss me and then when I ask why you're even in Tree Hill, you say you _don't know_!"

Lucas inwardly groaned as the memory of him kissing Brooke immediately flashed before his eyes, along with the reminder that she had slapped him _twice_ and _hard_ across his face. "I'm sorry" he muttered weakly but Brooke wasn't interested.

"I don't care, okay? Just…tell me what you want and then please just go" Brooke pleaded. She felt angry…but she didn't want to show it, he didn't deserve to see how much he had hurt her when he left and he certainly didn't deserve to know anything about the child he abandoned.

"I want to make things right"

"Yeah well it's too late for that" Brooke bit back.

"Please" Lucas begged "I want to make things up to you and my daughter!"

"Don't!" Brooke hissed sharply and immediately stood up defensively "Don't you _dare_ mention her! You have no right to!" she shouted at him angrily but a sudden frown washed over her "And how did you even know that?" she asked confused.

"Know what?"

"That I had a girl"

"I…" Lucas stuttered unsure of how to answer that. He didn't want to cause any trouble between Haley and Brooke since she had helped him out so he decided to keep that part to himself "That doesn't really matter right now, Brooke…I just…I want to know what you want me to do to make things right and I will do it!"

"I want you to leave" Brooke told him seriously "Now" she hissed through a clenched jaw.

"I can't" Lucas replied shaking his head "I can't" he repeated.

"Why the hell not?" Brooke asked angrily "You don't even care about us! So why the hell are you here, _now_?"

"Because I want to change things! I want to make things right!" Lucas explained frustratingly.

"But why _now? _Why not six months ago? Or three years ago? Why _now_, Lucas?" Brooke asked also getting frustrated with him.

"I don't know! Okay? I just…it just happened!"

Brooke let out a cold and bitter laugh and shook her head "I don't believe this"

"Please Brooke-" he started but immediately got cut off by the ringing of Brooke's cell.

Brooke looked down ready to hit ignore but saw that it was Nathan so it could be about Grace. She looked back up at Lucas hesitantly and motioned for him to be quiet before answering. "Hello?" she asked agitated into the phone.

"**Hi Mommy!" Grace's excited voice echoed loudly through the phone "Uncle Nate said I could call you to wish you good night!"**

Brooke smiled and walked to the other side of the store not feeling comfortable talking to her daughter in front of Lucas. She took a deep breath and let all her anger towards Lucas go and concentrate on the one most important thing in her life. "Well thanks sweetie…and are you okay with staying there tonight?"

"**Yes" Grace replied "And Nate said that if I be good then I can have ice cream for breakfast!"**

Brooke let out a laugh "Yeah well you tell him that if he does, then he will be in big trouble!" she warned but then had to pull the phone away from her ear as Grace's loud voice shouted towards Nathan, she reminded herself to teach her daughter to move the phone away from her mouth when she was shouting to someone else.

"**He said that we should keep it a secret!" **

"Um, well it won't exactly be a secret now honey because you just told me" Brooke laughed.

Lucas watched on from his seat on the couch, it felt good to hear Brooke laugh…he hadn't heard her laugh for so long, and even though he could only hear bits and pieces of her conversation, he had a feeling that she was talking to her daughter, _their_ daughter.

"**Oh" Grace's puzzled voice mumbled "Oh well" **

"Well you better go before you waste up his entire phone bill…but I will come first thing in the morning to pick you up, okay?"

"**Okay Mommy" Grace smiled "I love you and sweet dreams!" **

"I love you too baby girl, goodnight"

"**Night!" Grace grinned before hanging up.**

Brooke hung up and looked over at Lucas who was looking at her curiously. "Who was that?" he asked.

Brooke glared at him "That's none of your business"

"Was it my daughter?" he asked almost desperately.

"_My_ daughter and yes, it was…not that it has anything to do with you!" she spat coldly.

"I want to meet her, Brooke"

"Well you can't"

"Please" Lucas pleaded.

"No" Brooke replied seriously "You don't deserve to!"

"I know that!" Lucas grunted "But I have missed you so much, Brooke! And I think about what could have happened if I had stayed every single day!"

"Yeah well you didn't stay, did you?" Brooke hissed angrily "There's no turning back, Lucas. You made your choice and you can't just walk back in here drunk one night and when you eventually sober up, demand to see my daughter!"

"She's my daughter too" Lucas argued weakly.

"No! She's not!"

Lucas sighed frustratingly "We are going round in circles here Brooke"

"Well then do is both a favor and get out!" Brooke ordered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Fine" Lucas sighed "I will go…but I will be back, Brooke. I am not giving up on you or my daughter again…that was the biggest mistake of my life and I'm not going back to that. I'm sorry, but I mean it…I will be back"

"Just go, Lucas, please" Brooke mumbled tiredly and Lucas nodded sadly before walking outside.

Brooke sat down on the couch slowly and brought her hand to her mouth as a small sob escaped her lips. Lucas was back…and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

* * *

"So…do you want another drink?" Nathan asked as he came out his the guest room after checking on Grace.

"Yes please" Haley smiled and Nathan poured some more wine into her glass. "Thanks"

Nathan sat down next to her on the couch "So…are you planning on staying in Tree Hill or is this just a social visit?" he asked curiously.

Haley shrugged "I don't know…maybe I will stay...maybe I won't" she answered honestly "I guess I just have to see what opportunities come up"

"Well…" Nathan started "I could go and speak to the Principle at Tree Hill High and see if there are any jobs going around" he suggested. "I know you have always wanted to teach"

Haley smiled "You would do that for me?"

"Sure" Nathan nodded with a smile "That's if you could take working in the same place as me"

Haley let out a small laugh "You aren't _that_ bad"

"Thanks…I guess" Nathan chuckled "But it's good to have you back…I missed you Haley James"

"I missed you too, Nathan Scott" Haley smiled softly.

Nathan held her gaze for a moment, smiles still placed on both of their faces but Nathan quickly broke the gaze "So um…" he went to offer her another drink but was interrupted by a knock on the door. He looked at Haley confused before glancing down at his watch "It's late…who on earth would be knocking at this time?"

Haley shrugged and watched as Nathan walked towards the door and opened it. "Brooke" his voice was full of concern and she immediately stood up to see Brooke enter the apartment with tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked worriedly as Brooke let out a shaky breath.

"He's back, Nathan!" Brooke told him as a small sob escaped from her. "And I don't know what to do!"

"Who?" Nathan asked anxiously but he had a funny feeling who she was talking about "Who is back, Brooke?"

"Lucas" Brooke told him and shook her head quickly "I don't know what to do, Nate"

Nathan looked at Brooke then back at Haley who looked concerned. "I will be back" he muttered before quickly leaving the apartment.

"Nathan!" Both Brooke and Haley shouted after him but it was too late, he was already running out of the building.

* * *

Nathan ran quickly through the dark streets of Tree Hill, he didn't know where the hell he was going but he needed to find Lucas, he ran towards the River Court and saw a car parked right off the court, he quickly jogged towards it and his face grew angry when he saw Lucas asleep inside of it.

He walked away from the cars towards the trees and looked through the small area before picking up a large plank of wood. He walked back towards Lucas's truck before hitting the hood of the car with it hard, Lucas surprisingly was still sleeping over the noise so he raised his arm and slammed the wood against his truck again, this time even harder.

Lucas jumped at the loud bang and looked at Nathan in shock as he saw what he had just done. "What the fuck!" he hissed before quickly jumping out the car "What the hell do you think you're doing!" he shouted angrily and looked at the damaged front of his car.

Nathan stood looking at Lucas in anger and kept a firm grip of the large plank of wood in his hands. "What the hell are _you_ doing?" he asked angrily "You're not welcome here!"

"It's none of your fucking business!" Lucas hissed coldly.

"If it has something to do with Brooke and my niece then I will make it my fucking business!" Nathan threatened "You stay the hell away, Lucas! I mean it!"

"Or what? You going to hit me with that thing?" he asked motioned to the plank in Nathan's hand.

"Don't tempt me" Nathan warned seriously.

Lucas shook his head in disbelief "I just want to see my daughter. I want to make things right with Brooke!" he explained.

Nathan scoffed "It's a bit late now, don't you think?"

"I was an idiot for leaving and I regret it, I really do" Lucas told him seriously.

"You're full of shit" Nathan spat "You don't care about anyone but yourself!"

"That's not true!" Lucas defended "I love Brooke"

Nathan shook his head quickly "No you don't! If you loved her then you would never have left her!"

"Because I thought I was doing the right thing!" the blonde Scott argued "I thought she would be better off without me!"

"Yeah well she is better off without you, so why don't you just drive back to the little hole you crawled out from?"

"I'm not giving up, Nathan" Lucas told him sternly.

"Yeah…well neither am I!" Nathan also said, not backing down. "I'm going to make sure that you never clap eyes on that kid…I mean it"

"You can't stop me from seeing my own daughter"

"Watch me" Nathan threatened "Because I have been more involved in that little girl's life then you will ever be…so who the hell is Brooke going to listen to? Her best friend, who has loved and protected her daughter since the day she was born or some ass of an ex-boyfriend who abandoned her when she was pregnant?"

Lucas looked down knowing that this was an uphill battle, but he was determined to get his life back on track and it didn't matter how long it would take, he was going to get Brooke back and he was going to be the Dad that his little girl deserved to have. "I'm not going to back down on this" he told him seriously "I mean it…I'm not going anywhere"

Nathan nodded his head "Yeah well neither am I" he finished before throwing down the plank of wood onto the grass and looked at Lucas's threateningly "You better watch your back!" he warned coldly before storming off.

Lucas watched him go angrily and looked back to the dent on the hood of his car "Asshole" he muttered under his breath as he went to examine the damage.

* * *

"You don't think that he will do anything stupid, do you?" Brooke asked hesitantly as she and Haley sat in silence in Nathan's apartment.

Haley shook her head reassuringly "He just needs to calm down a little, don't worry, he will be fine" she said with a forced smile, maybe this all could have been prevented if she had told Brooke that Lucas was back the moment she had found out. "Besides…" she continued "What are the chances of Nathan even finding him anyway?"

"Tree Hill is a small town" Brooke pointed out and sighed loudly "This is such a mess!" she groaned and ran her hand over her eyes "I can't believe that this is even happening!"

"But..."Haley started unsure if it was her right to say "You must have been expecting Lucas to come back eventually, right?"

"Yes" Brooke nodded weakly "When Grace was born and on Christmas and her first birthday and then her second but by the third…I had met Chase and I had realized that Lucas wasn't coming back…at least not for a long time" she admitted "I guess that was just me being naive" the brunette mumbled.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know" Brooke confessed "I really don't…I mean…I don't want him anywhere near Grace. At least not in the state I first saw him in today"

"What do you mean?" Haley asked confused.

"Well he was drunk" Brooke told her with a dry laugh "Can you believe him? He obviously hasn't changed one bit"

Haley shook her head in disbelief, she was sure that after she had spoken to Lucas this morning he was going to try and be the best person he could be and turning up drunk was not the right way to do it. "Will you let him see Grace?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know!" Brooke grunted in frustration "I mean…isn't there a book or something that helps people deal with this type of crap?"

Haley laughed lightly "I don't think so, Brooke"

"Well there should be" the brunette muttered "Because I don't know how I am supposed to handle this, I mean…what if I don't let him see her and he gets the court involved? What if I lose her?"

"Brooke don't be stupid! There is no way in hell that Lucas would take Grace from you, and even if he tried…he wouldn't succeed, firstly because he doesn't even know her and it was _you_ who raised Grace and it was him who abanded you both…there is no way they will let him have full custody of her" Haley told her sternly. "Besides, Lucas probably doesn't want to take Grace away from you…he probably only wants to get to know her…be a Dad to her"

"Why are you so wise" Brooke muttered. Haley let out a small laugh and listened as Brooke continued. "It's not that I don't want Gracie to have a father, of course I do…but Lucas just left and he hasn't made any effort to contact her for the last five years. Besides, Grace has Chase and Nathan to look up to so it's not as if she doesn't have a male role model in her life"

"Yeah but they aren't her father, Brooke. But I do know what you mean…you can't just let Lucas back into your life easily, you need to know that he won't be going anywhere and that he will be good to Grace, because she's the most important thing in all of this, Brooke, you have to forget about your history with the guy and put her first"

"I know that" Brooke told her "I do…it's just hard…I mean, what if he gets to know Grace and she loves him and then suddenly one day he just gets up and leaves and doesn't come back until another five years? I can't let him to that to my daughter"

"Which is why you need to make sure that Lucas is serious about this…and you need to make sure he sorts his life out"

"I know…I mean…I don't want Grace anywhere near him if he is going to be drunk all the time…I don't even know if he is still involved with drugs, because if he is then there is no way in hell that I am letting my little girl be even in the same room as him"

"Well then you need to talk to Lucas"

"Sadly I know that" Brooke sighed "But it's late and I'm just going to go to bed…tell Nathan I'm sleeping in the guest room with Grace" she told her tiredly and Haley nodded.

"Okay" Haley said "Goodnight"

"Night" Brooke mumbled before walking quietly into the small guest room. She smiled when she saw Grace laying in the double bed in a deep sleep…her light breathing was the only noise that spread around the dark and silent room. She slowly took off her jeans before slipping in the bed beside her and leaning over and kissing her forehead gently "Sweet dreams princess" she whispered softly and brushed some of her chestnut hair from the little girl's eyes before leaning down and closing her eyes herself, exhausted from the long and emotional day she had had.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well? Please all review and tell me what you thought :) They always inspire me to write more. I hope you liked the chapter and thanks to eveyone who reviewed the last chapter too.

**Sara x**


	21. The Red Door

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

_Flashbacks in this style of writing._

* * *

Brooke silently groaned at the vibrating sound of her cell phone that was coming from the bedside table next to her, she tiredly sat up and leaned over to answer it speaking quietly so she wouldn't wake her sleeping daughter next to her. "Hello?" she answered groggily not even bothering to check the ID.

"Hey, where are you? I come home from work to find you and Grace nowhere in sight" Chase commented on the other side.

"Oh yeah…we stayed at Nathan's last night" Brooke spoke quietly and stroked Grace's soft light brown hair soothingly. "We had a late night and Grace was already settled so we just bunked in the guest room" she explained deciding that it would be best not to mention Lucas's sudden return to her boyfriend just yet.

"Oh, okay" Chase answered "Well why don't I come round and pick you both up? Treat my girls to breakfast"

Brooke smiled and nodded "Sure…but Gracie is still sleeping so wait another hour?" she asked.

"Sure" Chase smiled "See you soon"

"Bye" Brooke sighed before hanging up the phone. She didn't want to think of Lucas anymore, instead she wanted to think of her daughter and her boyfriend and what better way to do that is to spend some time together with them, just the three of them.

* * *

Brooke walked out of the guestroom and held in a yawn and smiled slightly when she saw Nathan and Haley sitting in the kitchen. "Morning guys"

Nathan looked up at Brooke with an annoyed expression "Is that it? _Morning guys_?"

Brooke sighed and sat down "Not now, Nate, it is way too early"

"Well last night was apparently way too late" Nathan muttered "So when exactly do you want to talk about your ass of an ex being back in town?"

"I don't even want to think about Lucas right now" Brooke muttered.

"Well you're going to have to think about him sometime, Brooke; you can't keep on burying your head in the sand and hope that this will all go away because it won't" Nathan told her sternly.

"I'm not going to let him see her if that's what you're talking about"

"Well what about you?" Haley cut in.

"This isn't about me" Brooke replied confused.

"Oh come on, Brooke…this was the guy you once claimed you loved" Haley said softly "How do you feel about him being back?"

"This is not about me" Brooke replied firmly not wanting to talk about this. Why couldn't it just all go away.

"Brooke-" Nathan grunted with frustration but soon got cut off by the guestroom door opening and a tired looking Grace walking slowly towards them.

"Mommy" Grace's soft voice echoed across the room.

"Morning princess" Brooke smiled as she lifted Grace onto her lap "How did you sleep?" she asked, glad for the change of subject.

"Good" Grace answered in a muffle, never really being a morning person, especially when she was tired.

"Well…Chase is coming to pick us both up soon and he's taking us out for breakfast so we better go and get you changed into a fresh pair of clothes" Brooke told her standing up, carrying Grace as she did so.

"Brooke…" Nathan started "You can't run away from this"

"I'm not" Brooke replied simply before walking back towards the guestroom.

Nathan shook his head and looked at Haley annoyed "She can't keep doing this" he muttered with frustration.

"Just give her time, Nate" Haley told him softly "Let her deal with this in her own way"

"Yeah…but that's the problem, Hales" Nathan sighed and shook his head "I don't think she is dealing with this at all"

* * *

Lucas stepped outside his truck the next morning and stretched his arms out above him with a yawn, his neck was sore from sleeping in the car but he had slept in worse places in the last six years. He walked around to the front of the truck and shook his head annoyed at the large dent and chipped paint scratches that was placed in the middle of the hood. He grunted before jumping back inside the truck and driving off to find the nearest garage.

It was strange as how he drove through the small and narrow streets of Tree Hill how nothing much had really changed and how he soon found himself knowing exactly where he was going. The only changes that he had seen were in the main street but back in the quieter areas of the small town, everything was still the same. He's expected that after being gone from this town for six years that nothing would be the same as it was before, but obviously he was wrong.

He pulled up at one of the old garage stations and slowly walked towards the large entrance, he stepped in to see two cars already inside and another with the hood open where he assumed the mechanic was at the other side.

"Uh…excuse me" Lucas's voice echoed through the room but immediately took a step back when the mechanic shut the lid.

"Lucas" Keith's shocked voice travelled towards him. "What…what are you doing here?"

Lucas struggled to answer as he looked towards his car then back at Keith who looked stunned. What was he supposed to know? He couldn't exactly be pissed off at the guy anymore considering he had abandoned his kid the same way Keith had left him; only in his case it was probably worse considering he was actually Grace's father and not her uncle. "Um…my car…I…I need a new hood" so talking to the man like a stranger was his solution then?

"I meant in Tree Hill" Keith said taking a few steps towards his nephew "I didn't think I would see your face around here again"

"Yeah well people surprise you" Lucas muttered uncomfortably.

"Does Brooke know your back?" Keith asked as he wiped his greasy hands with a towel.

"Yes"

"I bet she wasn't too pleased" Keith said with a small chuckle.

Lucas glared at him, how the hell was any of this funny? "Why do you care?" he asked coldly.

"I care about the kid you abandoned" Keith cut in and this time he wasn't smiling "Nice move, Lucas…really smart" he told him with sarcasm.

"You're one to judge" Lucas bit back defensively.

"Yeah…exactly…you think you would have learnt your lesson? First with Dan…then with me, turns out you're just as bad as the rest of us"

"Whatever" Lucas muttered annoyed "I don't have to listen to this" he spat before walking out of the garage however Keith was hot on his tail.

"Actually Lucas! You do!" Keith shouted after him and pulled his arm and turning him around "For god's sake you are a father! When the hell are you going to grow up and take responsibilities for your actions?"

"You don't know a damn thing about me!"

"Really? I do know that you're a coward!"

Lucas looked away with frustration and closed his eyes tight. He hated that word.

"Yeah…that's right, Lucas!" Keith goaded "A coward…just like me and just like Dan!"

"Stop it!"

"No…because I have met your daughter, Lucas. And she is a good little girl, Brooke has raised her well"

Lucas felt his heart beating a million miles an hour at the mention of his daughter…his daughter that he didn't know anything about, nothing…not even what she looked like.

"She's five years old, Lucas, _five_, and she has grown up without her father…don't you even care about that?"

"Of course I care!" Lucas snapped "Damn it, why do you even think I left?" he asked but didn't even wait for Keith to answer "Because I'm a loser! I'm a selfish immature loser and Brooke and my kid would be better off without me! All I would ever have done is bring them down to my level and I didn't want that for them! They deserve better than what I could give them...like you said six years ago back in that hospital room, I didn't have a job, I didn't have any money and I barely had an education! So what the hell could I have done for them, huh Keith? What?" he asked shouting in frustration "Nothing!"

"You could have been a father" Keith replied calmly and Lucas quickly roughly wiped his eyes to stop the tears from appearing.

"Don't you think I know that? I regret walking out on Brooke _every single_ day…but it happened… and there isn't a damn thing that I can do to change that now, and Brooke hates me because of it and I hate me because of it and my daughter probably hates me because of it, okay?!" Lucas shouted "I made a mistake…but now I want to make things right"

"It's not going to be easy" Keith pointed out.

"I know that…I know that"

"But I'm on your side"

"What?" Lucas's head snapped up surprised. "But-"

"But nothing, Lucas. I should have been there for you while you were growing up, after your mother had died…but I wasn't, and I think that maybe if I was, things would be different right now" Keith explained honestly "I made a mistake with you, Lucas, and I want to make it right between us just like you want to make things right with Brooke and your daughter"

Lucas nodded gratefully "Thank you" he told him sincerely.

Keith shrugged "I may be fourteen years too late but I want to help you, I at least owe you that much"

* * *

"Hmm…can I have a _huge_ chocolate milkshake?" Grace asked the waitress who was standing by their table taking their order.

"For breakfast?" Brooke cut in with a shake of a head "How about we skip the chocolate and have just the milk?"

Grace pouted "Please Momma, just this once"

"That's what you said the last time we came here" Brooke told her and Grace folded her arms in annoyance.

"That's so unfair!" she huffed.

Chase chuckled and shook his head "Just give her the chocolate milkshake" he told the waitress and smiled as she walked off.

"Yey!" Grace squealed in delight.

"Chase!" Brooke scolded "I can't believe you just did that!"

"Oh come on Brooke, it's just one time" Chase shrugged "She will only be having _one_" he warned looking down at Grace who was sitting next to him. She just nodded in response and turned her attention back to her drawings.

"That's not the point!" Brooke hissed "I told her no and you just completely undermined me"

"That wasn't my intention, you know I can't say no to that face" Chase explained "Come on, lighten up…you have been in a bad mood all morning"

Brooke sighed "I'm just tired" she lied; she couldn't get Lucas out of her damn mind.

"Well cheer up" Chase smiled "We both haven't had a day off together in a while so we might as well enjoy it" he pointed out.

"Yeah" Brooke agreed forcing a smile.

"Red or blue?" Grace interrupted and held up the two crayons as she struggled to decide.

Brooke leaned over the table to see what her daughter was coloring in before deciding "Red"

_Lucas pulled up in his car outside of Brooke's house after the two had spent the night at the bar where they first met. It had been about two months since then and about six weeks since they started a relationship and things were still pretty fresh between them._

_"I had a good night tonight, Luke. Thank you" Brooke smiled._

_"Anything for you Pretty Girl" Lucas grinned before leaning over and kissing her softly on the lips. "I_ really _like kissing you" he whispered once he pulled away and Brooke grinned widely._

_"That's good to know, because I really enjoy you kissing me" _

_Lucas smirked before pressing his lips against hers once more before slowly pulling away. _

_"I better go" Brooke told him before removing her seatbelt. _

_Lucas nodded and looked over towards Brooke's dark house. "I thought your parents were in town?" he asked confused, wondering why the house looked like nobody was even living in it._

_"They were" Brooke told him "They left for Rome about..." she trailed as she looked down at her watch "Three hours ago"_

_"Oh"_

_"Yeah" Brooke answered with a dry laugh "Anyway...I better get inside, school tomorrow"_

_"Why don't I pick you up, we can go for breakfast before...somewhere where nobody will know us, of course" he told her reasuringly._

_Brooke smiled "Okay, I would like that"_

_"Good...I will be round at about seven...you just wait behind that red door" Lucas told her._

_"Ah you noticed?" Brooke asked with a smile._

_"Of course" Lucas smirked "It's the only door in this street that is painted red, I love it...and everytime I see another house with a red door, which by the way is not very often" he told her with a small chuckle "I always think of you"_

_Brooke grinned widely "What? So red doors symbolize me to you?"_

_"Yeah" Lucas smiled "You're the girl behind the red door. My girl behind the red door"_

"I like red" Grace smiled as she colored in the front door of the big house she was drawing.

* * *

"So, Emily and I divorced about two years ago and her and the kids moved back to Charleston" Keith finished as he and Lucas drove in his truck. Keith was explaining about how he, his wife and his children moved to Tree Hill three years ago but things weren't working out between him and his wife and she had moved back to her hometown leaving Keith living in Tree Hill alone.

"Do you miss your kids?" Lucas asked curiously.

Keith nodded "Of course I do…but it's not like I never see them, I mean they come over every other weekend and when they aren't at school, sure, it's not the same as having them around all the time but that's just life I guess…nothing is perfect"

"Yeah" Lucas mumbled as he thought to his own mess he guessed you could call his life.

"Actually, they are coming over this weekend, you could meet them…that's if you're still around"

"I told you" Lucas sighed "I'm not going anywhere"

"That's good…because you have a lot of making up to do" Keith told him before parking the truck as the two stepped out before walking into the small café.

* * *

Brooke looked up as the door jingled and her heart almost stopped when she saw Lucas, she looked across the table to see Grace coloring contently and Chase watching her, throwing in the occasional comment every now and then. Her breath hitched slightly as she nervously stood up telling Chase she was going to the bathroom.

"You need to leave, _now_" Brooke's stern voice surprised Lucas, not expecting to see her here.

"Brooke" Lucas stuttered as he looked towards the table she had just walked from and his stomach started fluttering as he saw the back of a little girls head, her light brown hair in two plats. "Is that-" he started but Brooke immediately cut him off.

"Don't you dare!" She hissed quietly so she wouldn't cause a scene "I mean it Lucas…you better leave!"

Lucas looked towards Keith who just held his hands up in the air not wanting to get involved. "I…Brooke…I want to see her" the blonde stuttered feeling over whelmed with the fact that his daughter was in the same room as him.

Brooke immediately shook her head "You have no right!"

"She's my daughter!" Lucas argued.

Brooke clenched her jaw in anger "You left! You didn't want to know her five years ago so you don't get to want to know her _now_!"

"I made a mistake!"

Chase turned around hearing the voices and he frowned instantly when he saw the loser he kicked out of the club last night standing having what looked like a heated conversation with his girlfriend. He turned back to Grace who was happily coloring before he slowly stood up and walked towards them. "What's going on here?" he asked glaring directly at Lucas and he wrapped his arm around Brooke's waist as if he was marking his territory.

Brooke immediately sighed dejectedly not wanting Chase to find out about him like this but she knew it was too late now.

"Do you know this loser?" Chase asked in a cold tone as he glared at Lucas heavily.

Lucas looked at him confused for a moment, who the hell was he and why did he have his hands on his Brooke? Then suddenly he remembered the face, this jerk kicked him out of that nightclub the night before.

"Wait…" Brooke trailed confused and almost gasped "Do _you_ know him?" she asked her boyfriend.

Chase shook his head "No but I had to kick him out of the club last night"

Brooke scoffed and turned back at Lucas "Really?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and Lucas rubbed his hand over his face.

"Brooke" Chase interrupted again "Who is he?"

Brooke looked at him nervously then back at Lucas who was now smirking. "Well? Aren't you going to tell him, Pretty Girl?" the blonde asked in a grin.

Brooke glared at him; he was so not helping his chances right now.

"Brooke?" Chase urged.

"Chase…" Brooke started with a sigh "This is Lucas-"

"Brooke's ex and the father" Lucas smirked and held his hand out for Chase to shake but the brunette male wasn't interested. He didn't know why he was acting like a jerk...but he didn't like the look of this guy, there was something _off_ about him.

"What?" he asked in shock looking at Brooke "Since when did he come back?"

"Since last night" Brooke answered with a cringe "I am so sorry I didn't tell you! I was just waiting for the right time!" she quickly told him.

"The right time? When the hell would there be a right time to tell me this?" Chase asked in disbelief "You told me that Grace's father was gone for good!"

"Well I thought he would be!" Brooke hissed and Lucas looked down shamefully.

"We are leaving" Chase practically ordered and turned to look at Lucas "You stay the hell away from my family"

"They aren't your family!" Lucas growled back hating the fact that this guy was looking after his daughter.

"Lucas!" Brooke hissed in annoyance "Please"

"No!" Chase shouted and turned back at Lucas "They are _my_ family so you better crawl back to whatever hole you came from, you don't deserve them!"

Lucas's fists tightened by his side, he knew he didn't deserve them but that didn't mean that he wouldn't fight like hell to get them back.

Brooke watched the anger rise inside of her ex-boyfriend, she knew him well and she saw the way his fists clenched at his sides and his jaw stiffened, she needed to get him or Chase out of here before the blonde did something he would regret. "Lucas" she said in a calm tone "Please…can you just-" she started but Chase cut her off.

"Leave this god damn town and never come back! We don't want you here, Brooke doesn't want you here and I'm pretty sure that Grace doesn't too" Chase goaded "You don't love them…you don't care about them, you only care for yourself!"

"Shut up!" Lucas spat angrily and took a step towards Chase "You don't know anything about me!" he hissed through gritted teeth.

"I know that you're a coward" Chase taunted "Look at you…you're a mess! They were lucky that you left, you would have only made their life a misery anyway!"

That was all it took for Lucas to step towards Chase ready to hit him hard, but just as he did he felt a firm grip on his wrist, he looked down to see Brooke's hand holding his wrist down and she quickly stepped between the two.

"Lucas" She said calmly and looked at him directly in the eyes. She pushed him back slightly but still kept her hand firmly on his wrist "Please don't do this. You don't want to do this, do you?"

Lucas looked down at her then back at Chase who did not look happy, he looked back down at Brooke and sighed before nodding, she always knew how to calm him down. "Sorry" he mumbled quietly and Brooke released her hand from his wrist and took a step back. "Can you please just go?" she asked tiredly and Lucas reluctantly nodded.

Keith sighed from his spot behind Lucas and slowly led his defeated nephew out of the café.

Brooke turned to Chase and glared at him heavily "You didn't have to taunt him"

"Why the hell are you defending him?" Chase asked in disbelief "This is the guy who left you pregnant at 17!"

"I know that!" Brooke argued with a raised voice but quickly toned down her voice when she noticed a few people turn to look over at them "But I have to think about Grace in this, not me and not you"

"He doesn't deserve to have her in his life" Chase spat coldly.

"I know that" Brooke agreed "But Grace deserves to have a father, no matter how screwed up he is, I can't deny Lucas from seeing her"

Chase shook his head in disbelief "But she doesn't need him, she has me!"

"And I know that you love her as your own…and she loves you so much too, but you're not her Dad, Chase. I'm sorry" Brooke told him regretfully and gently placed her hand on his arm soothingly "Please understand where I am coming from in this"

Chase quickly recoiled from her touch "I don't understand, Brooke. I don't understand how you can even think about letting that asshole near your daughter never mind forgiving him!"

"Of course I don't forgive him!" Brooke defended "I have spent the last five years hating him for what he did but honestly, if he didn't leave…then I wouldn't have met you and I probably wouldn't have my store and I probably wouldn't be as close with Nathan. Things happen for a reason, Chase…I truly believe that"

Chase sighed and shook his head "I'm sorry, Brooke. But I don't agree with you on this" he told her with a cold tone in his voice and took another step back "I'm going, tell Grace I said bye" he muttered before leaving the café.

Brooke watched him leave then looked over at her daughter who was still coloring contently, totally unaware of the drama that had just unfolded behind her, she just hoped it would stay like that, she didn't want her getting pulled into this mess, Grace was completely innocent, she didn't deserve any of this.

* * *

"I don't believe it" Lucas sighed sadly as he and Keith slowly walked down the street "My daughter was right there, Keith! Right there! Just a few feet away from me and I didn't even get to see her face"

Keith patted his nephew's back reassuringly "Don't worry, Lucas. You will get to see her"

"Will I?" Lucas asked unsurely "Because I don't know if Brooke will let me, and if that Chase guy has anything to do with it then I definitely won't get to know her" he said dejectedly "And I know that this is all my fault, I know that! and I made a stupid mistake that I regret but I honestly believed that they would be better off without me…I was so messed up back then, I didn't know where my life was headed and I knew that I wouldn't be able to look after Brooke the way that I was supposed to, I knew that and that is why I left…it wasn't to deliberately hurt her, but I just couldn't see a future with us that would make her happy, make our _baby_ happy if I was still acting like a selfish immature ass!"

Keith nodded in understanding "Sometimes…you make decisions that you think is for the best but in reality you are only making things worse in the long run" he told him "I thought that when I left Tree Hill things would be better for your Mom, I regretted leaving you but your Mom turned me down when I proposed and in all honesty, I felt like crap…so I did the only thing that I thought would be best and that was to leave, I thought that the space would do us good and that I would return at some point, but soon I found myself scared to go back, and the longer I left it, the worse I felt about it, so I picked the easy option and stayed away for good…and when I eventually came back, it was all too late"

"Who knew we would have so much in common" Lucas muttered sarcastically and shook his head defeated.

"No" Keith shook his head disagreeing with his nephew "The difference between you and me, Lucas…is that you came back, yes, you are five years to late but you aren't _too_ late. If you want to be a part of your daughter's life then you can still do it…you can make it up to her, Lucas."

"I can't, Keith…I'm already too late, Brooke has already moved on and Grace probably see's that Chase guy as a father" Lucas said sadly "How can I compete with the life they have already made?"

"If you _really_ want to then you can do it, Lucas, but I'm going to warn you again, it's not going to be easy" Keith told him seriously "Brooke certainly isn't going to forgive or trust you anytime soon but if you work hard, and you try to show her how much you want to be a part of your daughter's life then she can't deny you that, you just have to prove it to her"

Lucas nodded in agreement but then shook his head sadly "But I want Brooke back too…and I know that that is selfish of me, but I can't help how I feel…I love her, Keith. I really do, I always have and I don't think I will ever stop loving her." he said sincerely.

Keith stayed silent for a moment as the two continued to walk along the street. He stopped causing Lucas to stop too and he looked at his nephew with a firm gaze "Well then I guess you have a lot of work to do, Lucas. Because this is going to be one hell of a battle" he told him seriously.

"I know" Lucas agreed "But it's what I want…I have given up on them before. There is no way in hell that I'm going to do it again, no matter how much Brooke doesn't want me in her life right now. I am going to do this, I am going to get them back" Lucas told his uncle confidently and for the first time since returning to Tree Hill he felt that maybe…just maybe, in the end everything could turn out okay. Because a beautiful woman once told him; People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end.

* * *

**A/N: Well? What did you all think of this chapter? Please tell me...I love reading all of your reviews! Remember, the more reviews the faster the updates!**

**And I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed the last chapter:** Bazzle, princetongirl, brucas1, pink5288, ChadAndSophie, CheerandBrood323, p0line, leona, flipflopgal, othfan326, Rianna, Brooke Chambers, brucas2008, brucas333, PeterClaire, Brucasfan23, sabsfan2, Princesakarlita411, Tash and BL.

Thanks so much guys!

**Sara x**


	22. Never Again

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

Brooke walked into the kitchen the next morning and looked nervously at Chase who was sitting alone at the breakfast table drinking from his mug of coffee; she slowly walked towards him and sat down opposite him. "Hi" she breathed out nervously and Chase looked up at her before looking back down at his drink. Brooke stayed silent for a few moments before speaking up again "You didn't come home last night"

"I changed my shift at the club" Chase explained in a mumble.

"You could have called to tell me…I was worried"

"I'm sure" Chase muttered under his breath sarcastically and Brooke sighed loudly.

"Chase…I'm sorry" Brooke apologized.

"Do you even know what you're apologizing for?" Chase challenged and looked at her intently.

"Yes" Brooke bit back matching his cold tone but took another breath before calming down. "I should have told you about Lucas being back as soon as I found out"

"Well then why didn't you?" Chase questioned "And don't give me that crap about waiting for the right time, okay?"

Brooke nodded and looked around the room before turning back to her boyfriend "I was scared" she admitted "Things have been going good lately and I didn't want him to ruin things so I just tried to think that it would all go away if I didn't acknowledge it…" she confessed "And I know that that was stupid but part of me was hoping that he would just go away"

Chase shook his head in annoyance "You still could have told me sooner"

"I know"

"So what are you going to do now?" Chase asked.

"I don't know" Brooke admitted quietly "I don't want him to be in our lives…but…he is Grace's dad…" she trailed unsure of what Chase would have to say about that comment…however she could immediately tell by his face that it wasn't good.

Chase laughed bitterly "Are you kidding me? Brooke! This loser left you pregnant! He doesn't deserve to be Grace's father!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Brooke argued "I don't want him around anymore than you do but if he _really_ wants to be in Grace's life and if he is serious about it then I can't stop him"

Chase again let out another dry laugh "And what if he leaves again, huh? Then what? You going to send Grace back to me…are you going to want me to take her to the park and to pick her up from school? Are you going to want me to be the one to help teach her how to do new things? Are you going to want me to put the food in her mouth? Huh?" he asked coldly.

Brooke glared at him angrily "I never asked you to do those things! Grace loves you! She isn't some property that can be claimed or passed about! She's my daughter and whether we all like it or not she is Lucas's too!"

Chase scoffed "Oh please! Like Lucas even cares about her…if he did then he would have contacted her at some point in oh…I don't know…the last five years!"

Brooke stayed silent knowing that this was going nowhere…she slowly stood up and walked around the table next to him. "I'm sorry Chase…and I love you…I don't really know what else to say" she admitted quietly.

Chase sighed loudly and turned to his face girlfriend, standing up and kissing her forehead softly "And I love you too, Brooke" he told her and Brooke let out a small smile "But I'm not happy about this" he continued and Brooke's smile faltered slightly "At all" he finished before leaving the room and Brooke alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Lucas stood nervously outside of the Clothes over Bro's store, he tried to look through the window but he knew that would look suspicious especially since there were lots of customers inside. But he did stand from afar and admire the company that his ex-girlfriend had built up for her herself. Keith had explained that Brooke was the owner and honestly, he was surprised…surprised but proud, proud that unlike him, she had managed to achieve something in the last five years. and unlike him, she had made something of her life and looking at how many customers were inside the store already, he knew that she was a success, again, it was something that he had failed to achieve.

He took a deep nervous breath before finally finding the courage to walk inside, he shifted past people and walked towards the main desk and saw a girl with long straight black hair and glasses standing with a small smile.

"Hi, can I help you?" Millicent asked politely and Lucas shifted on his feet nervously.

"Yeah" he started and let out a nervous cough "I'm looking for Brooke…is she here?"

Millicent shook her head "No but she will be this afternoon, I can leave a message if you want?"

"Uhm" Lucas stuttered unsure of what to say or do but before he could answer a middle aged woman appeared behind the girl and looked at him suspiciously.

"Can I help you?" Victoria asked in a stern tone and Lucas gulped slightly under gaze. Victoria eyed the young man in slight disgust, in her opinion he didn't look like the type of guy to come into a clothing store of her class. He was wearing raggy old dark blue jeans and a plain black hooded sweatshirt on top and he looked rough and unclean, she thought.

"Uhm…" Lucas trailed nervously but Millicent beat him to it.

"He is looking for Brooke" the younger assistant explained and Lucas couldn't help but notice the nervousness and hesitation in her voice, maybe he wasn't the only one who felt uncomfortable around the older woman's gaze.

"Brooke?" Victoria asked in suspicions "What could you possibly have to do with my daughter?" she stated curtly.

Lucas's eyes widened "You're-" he stuttered "You're Brooke's mom?" he asked shocked, this was the first time he had seen one of Brooke's parents and he couldn't help but be surprised, although…now that he looked at her clearly, there was a little resemblance between the two brunettes.

"I am, but don't look so surprised." Victoria replied briskly "May I ask how you know my daughter? I didn't realize she associates with people like…" she paused trying to find the right words to describe the young man in front of her "Well…you" she finished and eyed him up and down in disgust.

Lucas frowned but stopped himself from getting angry…he wanted to tell her so bad right now that he was dating her daughter in high school and that he is the father of her granddaughter but he knew that that wasn't his place to say. Lucas gave her a sweet fake smile "Never mind" he replied with a fake polite tone and turned to face Millicent "I will be back later, tell Brooke that Lucas came by, she will know who you mean." he finished before turning around and leaving the store.

Victoria watched him leave and shook her head in annoyance before turning to Millicent "Brooke really should stop helping those strays…they always come back for more"

"But I don't think he is homeless" Millicent explained confused, he didn't look homeless; sure he looked rough around the edges but nothing more. "Maybe he is just her friend"

Victoria let out a dry laugh "Oh please…like my daughter would associate with a guy like him" she told her briskly "Anyway, you better get back to work…no more distractions" she warned before walking back towards the back end of the store.

Millicent watched her go and turned to face the front and looked down before mumbling "Yes Victoria"

* * *

Nathan made his own way into Brooke's house and opened the door into the kitchen to see her sitting alone with what he presumed was a cup of coffee in front of her.

Brooke looked up at him and forced a small smile before looking back down at the table.

Nathan stayed silent and slowly went and sat down next to her, he noticed how quiet the house was which was strange considering how loud Grace normally is. "Where's Gracie?" he asked curiously, breaking the silence that formed into the room.

"She's still sleeping" Brooke told him "She was up late last night"

Nathan nodded and sighed loudly before bringing up the subject that he knew Brooke would want to avoid "So…what's going on, Brooke?" he asked "With Lucas?"

"I don't know" Brooke admitted quietly "I don't know anything anymore"

"What about Chase? How does he feel about this?"

Brooke shrugged "He's not happy…obviously" she sighed "But I don't see how any of this is my fault, I didn't ask Lucas to come back"

"I know" Nathan said "But what are you going to do? I mean…I hope you told him to get lost"

"I did" Brooke admitted quietly "At first"

Nathan immediately frowned "At first? What the hell does that mean?"

"I want Grace to have a father, Nate. Granted that Lucas is a major ass…but he is still her Dad" Brooke told him and she knew that she wouldn't get a good reaction from this.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Yep, she was right.

"Brooke! This loser abandoned you? Or have you forgotten that already?" Nathan asked in disbelief and anger.

"Of course I haven't!" Brooke argued.

"Well then why the hell are you defending him?"

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are!" Nathan accused "I have never understood what kind of hold that guy had over you back in highschool but whatever it was it was never good and you need to let it go! You can't let him back into your life!"

"I haven't forgiven him, if that's what you're trying to say!" Brooke defended "And I'm not going to just let him back in as if nothing has happened! I know what he did and I'm not going to forget…please Nathan! Just trust me on this!"

"No" Nathan immediately told her and shook his head firmly "Because when it comes to Lucas, Brooke, I don't trust you at all" he confessed seriously and Brooke looked away sadly.

"Well then I'm sorry" she let out in barely a whisper.

"Yeah well so am I" Nathan muttered and stood up "I'm going to fight you on this, Brooke. I don't want Lucas in your life"

"That's not your place to decide!"

"You're my best friend and I love and care about you and Grace means the world to me so there is no way in hell that I am going to let Lucas hurt you both again!" Nathan hissed coldly "You can't see it, you never could, but Lucas is trouble…always has been and always will be" he finished before walking out of the kitchen and leaving Brooke alone once again.

* * *

"Gracie! Be careful!" Brooke shouted warning her daughter who was running through the park towards the slides.

"I will!" she shouted back with a wide smile before joining the other children in the playground.

Brooke watched with a small smile and sat back against the bench watching how happy her daughter seemed…she couldn't help but not stop thinking about how her life would be affected with Lucas being back in town. Would it be a good thing for her? Or would it just make things worse? She didn't know…which was why she was still stuck with the idea of letting Lucas into her life.

"So what are you going to do about Lucas?" Rachel asked from sitting next to her.

"Yeah…what are you going to do?" Peyton asked from the other side. Brooke turned her head between her two friends unsure of how to answer their questions when she didn't even know the answer to them herself. Why couldn't they just leave it alone?

"I don't know" Brooke answered _again_. Honestly, she was sick of people asking her the same question over and over again, Haley, Chase, Nathan and now Peyton and Rachel, yes, she knew that they loved her and wanted to help and they were curious and worried about what would happen, but she just wished that they wouldn't push her. "Look, we didn't come here to talk about Lucas, so can you both please just drop the subject?" she asked tiredly.

Peyton reluctantly sighed "Sure" she knew how much pressure Brooke was under right now so she figured that she should just take a step back and back off slightly.

Rachel however, was a different story. "I'm just saying, Brooke. It must be hard…trying to figure out how this all is going to affect your life, I mean first there is the most obvious one and how it will affect Grace, and then there is how it will affect you and then there's Chase and your relationship with him and then there's Nathan, whatever you decide to do its going to affect a lot of people" the redhead pointed out.

"Rachel" Peyton warned "Drop it"

Rachel scoffed "Why? So we can let Brooke just live in denial for a little while longer? No offence Davis but you need to face up to this"

"She will in her own time!" Peyton defended.

"Which will be when, exactly?" Rachel argued "If we just leave this for her to deal with alone, she's just…well…_not_ going to deal with it at all"

Brooke sat in between her two friends, listening to what they were both saying and even though it was about _her_, she didn't want to interrupt, they both held pretty good arguments and she figured that maybe if they kept it going on for long enough she will actually figure out what she should do. But of course, it was never that easy.

"I'm just saying that she needs time" the blonde stated.

"Well…" Rachel continued "What are you doing to do, Brooke? If you ask me…you need to talk to Lucas, whether it's to threaten him to leave and stay out of your life for good or to threaten him that if he ever leaves again then it's his funeral. Both ways, you need to get your point across and you need to do it well"

"I think that I'm sick of talking about all of this" Brooke muttered in annoyance "This is my problem, not yours" she said motioning to both Rachel and Peyton "And I know that you are both only trying to help but this is something I need figure out on my own, okay?"

"Okay" Peyton agreed and rubbed her best friends arm soothingly. "Rachel?" Peyton urged and gave the redhead a look of warning.

Rachel sighed loudly "Fine" she got out reluctantly.

"Thank you" Brooke said gratefully "I need you both on my side, because trust me, whatever I decide, it's going to be Nathan with the biggest opinion on whatever that will be"

* * *

Brooke sat alone in her car later on that day; she looked down at her cell phone before bringing it up to her ear. _**'Hey, this is Chase, I can't get to the phone right now so give me a call later or leave a message, thanks'**_

Brooke sighed before slamming her cell phone shut, deciding not to leave a message; Chase obviously didn't want to talk to her so she wouldn't waste her time trying to get him to listen.

She slowly stepped out of the car and walked towards the small one storied house that she had been to only a couple of times before. She hesitantly raised her hand up but took a deep breath before finally hitting her fist against the wooden door.

It took a moment but someone managed to emerge to the door to answer. "Brooke…hey, what are you doing here?" Keith asked surprised to see her.

Brooke gave him a small smile before asking "Is Lucas here?"

"Yeah, he is" Keith told her "Come on in" he smiled and widened the door for her to come in.

"Thanks" Brooke mumbled and followed Keith into the living room before the older Scott left the room to go and get her ex-boyfriend. She sat down nervously on the couch and looked around the place, there were a lot of photo's with Keith and his children and she was surprised to see one with Keith and who she recognized as a much younger Lucas. There was even one with Keith with Dan, Deb and Nathan and Royal, and May…all together on what she assumed was Christmas.

"Hey"

Her head snapped towards the door where Lucas stood nervously at…he slowly walked towards her and sat down on the couch next to her, making sure that there was plenty of distance between them.

"I take it you got my message?" Lucas asked and Brooke looked at him confused.

"What message?" Brooke asked bewildered.

"Oh" Lucas mumbled "You didn't get it…" he trailed but also a little pleased that Brooke seemed to have come here on her own free will. "It doesn't matter" he told her with a small smile and Brooke nodded, still a little confused but decided to drop the matter, it wasn't important anyway, the only thing that was important in all of this was her daughter.

"I'm here about Grace" Brooke told him and she clasped her hands together nervously.

Lucas smiled at the mention of his daughters name…it still didn't seem real to him, that he had a daughter and even though he didn't know her…he felt proud of that fact. "What about her? I mean…is she okay?" he asked cautiously.

"She is fine" Brooke replied "But uh…she won't be if she finally gets to know her father only for him to just leave again"

"I promise you, Brooke! I'm not going anywhere!" Lucas pleaded with her desperately "I'm serious about this"

"You promised that once before, remember? In the hospital…you promised that you would never leave me" Brooke told him quietly and Lucas immediately felt shameful for what he had done.

"I'm sorry" Lucas whispered "You have to believe me"

Brooke stayed silent before she took a breath "But that's the thing…I don't believe you" she told him seriously and Lucas looked at her sadly "I don't trust you…I don't even _know_ you"

"Yes you do!" Lucas told her desperately "Brooke you are the one person in my life who does know me!"

"That's a lie" Brooke argued "I don't know anything about you…I thought I used to but I obviously didn't since I was completely wrong about you"

"Don't say that…when we were together, Brooke, it was real"

"No" Brooke shook her head "I don't think it was"

"Brooke!" Lucas grunted in frustration and also slightly in anger "I know that I hurt you and I hate myself for that, but that doesn't erase all the great times we shared…you knew me and you loved me, just as I did with you…nothing will change that"

"But it's been over five years…I don't know who you are _now_ which is why I don't trust you to be around my daughter"

"Please Brooke" Lucas begged and Brooke could see the tears in his eyes "I promise you, I would never _ever_ hurt Grace…never! I'm not going to leave again, I made that mistake once and there is no way in hell that I am going to do it again! You have to believe me!"

Brooke stayed silent. Did she believe him? She didn't know…she could see it in his eyes that he was being sincere and that he really did want to get to know Grace but that didn't mean that she trusted him…because she didn't.

"Brooke" Lucas pleaded "Please…I just want to make up for my mistakes, okay? I want to be the father that I should have been five years ago…let me do this, I am begging you" he begged in just over a whisper…the tears were burning in his eyes and he just hoped to god that Brooke would give him a chance with this.

Brooke looked at him then let out a nervous sigh "Okay" she whispered.

"What?" Lucas asked surprised and stunned.

"I said okay" Brooke told him "But if you _ever_ hurt her, Lucas. I mean it…_ever_, then you will be out of her life in a second and you won't be coming back in so easily"

"I promise" Lucas told her honestly "I won't ever hurt her"

Brooke nodded her head and stood up to leave.

"Brooke!" he called after her.

Brooke turned around and looked at her ex-boyfriend and it was only now how much she realized how weak she was around him…she came here on the mission to tell Lucas to stay the hell out of her life and leave both her and Grace alone, but seeing him looking so sincere and desperate to know his daughter she knew that she couldn't stop him, it wouldn't be fair to. No matter what Lucas had done, no matter what mistakes he made, stupid decisions and idiotic choices…she could see how serious about this he was, he was vulnerable to her today…and that was something she hadn't seen in him since…well…that day in the hospital when Keith came back.

"Yeah?" Brooke asked.

"Thank you" Lucas told her softly "Thank you so much"

Brooke gave him a small smile but before she went to leave she turned to face him once more "But don't screw his up, Lucas. Please"

"I won't" Lucas told her seriously "I'm not going to mess things up again, Brooke…never again"

"Okay" Brooke said and she believed him…she didn't know why, and he didn't deserve it, but she did. She believed him.

Lucas watched her leave and when she shut the door he grinned widely "Yes!" he practically shouted and laughed in happiness. He was grateful that Brooke was going to give him a chance with his daughter…and it was just another thing he could add on to his reasons on how much he loves her. Even if she didn't love him, like he said before…never again was he going to hurt them; that was his promise to himself.

**

* * *

**

A/N: I hope you liked this. please review and tell me what you all though, I love reading them. and thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. it means a lot.

**sara x**


	23. Ready or Not

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

Nathan sat in complete silence, he looked to his right to see Grace eating her dinner, making a mess of it and getting half of the sauce around her face and he would have laughed if it wasn't so awkward, she would occasionally come out with the most random sentence that would ease the uncomfortable feeling that was held around the room but as soon as her conversation died down, the table would go back to silence, the only sound being heard was the slurping noises made by his 5 year old niece as she ate her spaghetti.

Peyton looked around the table with her eyes, out of all the times the small group of friends got together for a meal like they had planned to do tonight, never had things been this awkward and silent, even if they were fighting…it was never like this. Even Rachel was quiet, and that took a lot.

Rachel took a sip from her wine and sighed loudly into the quiet room, as soon as she did that, all eyes focused on her and she immediately looked down, regretting making just the slightest sound. She had tried to spark up conversation at the start of their meal but nobody was really interested, she even attempted to make a joke but only Grace laughed and she was sure that the little girl didn't even understand it, but, she was thankful for the laugh, even if she now realized that she only laughed because she had some sauce on her teeth as she told it, but whatever.

Haley slowly snapped some of her garlic bread in half and took a bite of it, suddenly feeling very paranoid at the loud sound she made as she crunched on the crispy bread, she noticed that Peyton was watching her and she glared a little at the blonde, not feeling comfortable with her eyes watching her.

Brooke sat slowly picking at her food, twirling the spaghetti around her fork but not really eating it, how could she? All she could think about was what would happen with Lucas and Grace. The silence at the table was almost unbearable and that had pretty much ended her appetite anyway, especially since she knew that it was her fault. She broke the news to her close group of friends earlier about how she agreed to let Lucas be a part of Grace's life. Of course, they weren't happy about it, Nathan pretty much threw a fit and ranted and shouted and cursed a lot towards her, Peyton rolled her eyes and gave her a lecture about how this was only going to end badly, Rachel scoffed and gave her a disapproving look and Haley…well…wait? What did Haley even do? Nothing? Haley did nothing? Well that's strange.

She looked over towards the clock on the wall and took notice that Chase was now over two hours late…probably avoiding her, like he had been for the past two days. She understood why she was mad, of course she did…and she didn't blame him for being mad at her, not at all…it was his distance with Grace that was bothering her, her daughter loved him and she knew that he loved her too…so why the hell was he avoiding her too? Grace was innocent in all of this, she doesn't deserve that.

"Mommy?" Grace asked sweetly and Brooke looked up at her daughter. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, a little nervously too and Brooke immediately cringed.

"No sweetie, not at all" Brooke told her reassuringly and reached other and squeezed her hand softly "What makes you think that?"

Grace shrugged "Nobody is talking…even Rachel's not talking" she pointed out.

Brooke glanced over at the redhead who shrugged "Rachel has… toothache, don't you?" she said and gave her friend a look of warning.

"I do" Rachel answered.

"We are all just tired, Grace" Haley joined in the conversation.

"You okay now?" Brooke asked softly and Grace nodded with a smile.

"Yeah" she smiled before looking at Rachel "I hope you get well soon, Rachel"

Rachel smiled at the small brunette and glanced at Brooke for a second before looking back at her "Thanks Gracie"

"Excuse me" Nathan grumbled before standing up and walking out of the room. Brooke sighed and watched him go, knowing that it would probably be best to give him some space to let him get his head around all of this.

* * *

"What time are they coming up here then?" Lucas asked as he and Keith worked on a car in his garage. Keith had given Lucas a job there and even though at first it was just because he was his nephew and he needed the money, he soon learned how good Lucas was at his job and found out that he actually used to work in a garage back in New York, so it worked out well for him too to have a decent young mechanic around the place.

"The ex's boyfriend is dropping them off in a couple of hours" Keith told him with a shrug.

"The ex's boyfriend?" Lucas asked with a small laugh "Is that what they call them these days?"

"Well then it's better than future step daddy" Keith said in annoyance. "I don't want this guy bringing up my kids"

"Why not? Is he an ass?" Lucas asked slightly amused, not even realizing that he sort of in a similar situation.

"No…" Keith trailed "He is actually a good guy, manages some big office company in the city, great wages, flashy car, big house…you name it…he's got it"

"All of that compared to you living in a small two bedroom one storied house in some small town that's probably not even on the map and running your own garage?" he asked with a smile "No competition there Keith" he chuckled.

Keith glared at him but knew his nephew was only joking about, it was surprising at how well they seemed to be getting along…he definitely wasn't expecting them to become friends the way they are but he was happy that they were.

"Speaking of other men raising our children, how are things going with the daughter you haven't met yet?"

"Ouch" Lucas cringed with a smile "I deserved that" he answered before continuing "Nothing much really…I mean…Brooke said that I could meet her, she's just a little hesitant in doing so"

"Well can you blame her?"

"No of course not" Lucas replied "But it's been a couple of days since she agreed to that and over a week since I came back and I know that I don't deserve a chance at all…and it actually has only been a _week_ but so much has seemed to change between now and then and I just really want to meet her"

"I don't blame you…she's a good kid" Keith commented and again Lucas was reminded about how everyone else seemed to be close to his daughter but him, but again, it is his own fault. "I'm just surprised that it didn't take longer for Brooke to let you back in, I mean…I would have at least gave her another fortnight"

"Thanks" Lucas muttered.

"But seriously, Lucas" Keith told him "Don't get ahead of yourself, Brooke has agreed to let you meet Grace, that's all…she didn't say if it was going to be a regular thing or anything like that…so don't get your hopes up"

Lucas sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly "I know…but I can't help it"

"I know" Keith agreed before dropping the subject "Anyway" he continued looking down at his watch "It's almost closing time so you can get yourself home if you want?"

"No its fine…I will lock up, you go and get ready for your kids coming" Lucas smiled and Keith nodded gratefully.

"Thanks" Keith said and patted his nephews back before gathering his things together and leaving the garage.

* * *

Lucas stood nervously outside of Brooke's house not sure whether or not he should knock. Keith had given him her address which he was thankful for since he didn't really know what was going on right now. He wanted to meet Grace, he wanted to be in her life, he wanted to be a Dad to her, and he wanted to make it up for missing out on the first five years of her life.

Slowly, he took a deep breath before raising his arm and knocking on the door lightly, hoping that Brooke was home. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other as he waited for someone to answer but there was no such luck, just as he was about to turn around to go home he heard a voice come from behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

Lucas turned around surprised and saw Brooke standing there with Grace down by her side hand holding her hand and looking down shyly. He looked down at the small girl and smiled, wow…she was beautiful, the cutest little girl he had ever seen in his life, she had light brown hair and blue eyes, she looked so much like Brooke but he smiled even wider of that fact that she had his eyes.

Brooke looked at him shocked, she couldn't believe he would just show up on her doorstep like this, yes she said that he could meet Grace but on her terms, she wasn't expecting him to show up out of the blue like this, she was just thankful that Chase wasn't home. "Lucas? What are you doing here?"

"I uh" Lucas stuttered as he tore his eyes away from Grace and looked at Brooke with a nervous smile "I wanted to meet her"

"Now's not a good time" Brooke muttered as she made her way past him, keeping Grace close by.

"Please Brooke" Lucas pleaded "I have been desperate to meet her"

Brooke turned around and looked at her ex-boyfriend, he did look desperate and she did see his face when he first looked at their daughter, he looked amazed. "Fine" she said with a loud sigh and opened the door and motioned for him to follow "But not for too long, okay?"

"Fine with me" Lucas smiled as he hesitantly followed her into the house. "Well aren't you a cutie" he smiled as he looked down at the little girl who stood shyly by her mother. Lucas bent down so he was her level and held his hand out for her to shake. "I'm Lucas" he smiled. "What's your name?"

Grace looked at his hand nervously then back up at Brooke who sighed before nodding and giving her a smile to tell her it was okay. "Grace" she said quietly and slipped her hand into Lucas's.

Lucas grinned widely and shook her hand lightly before letting go "Grace huh? I love that name" Grace smiled, showing her dimples and Lucas's smile grew even wider if that was even possible. "So how old are you Grace? Seven? Eight? Nine?" he asked with a grin.

Grace giggled slightly and shook her head furiously "I'm five!" she told him proudly.

Lucas pretended to be surprised "Five? Really? Wow you look so much older than that! I would have said that you were at least seven years old!"

"No!" Grace grinned and again shook her head "I'm five!" she said putting up all her fingers "And I get to go to school soon!"

"School? Really?" he asked with a smile "I'm sure you will love it"

Brooke let out a small smile at Lucas's interaction with her daughter…maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to let him in her life after all. Grace seemed to like him already and it normally takes her a little while to get to know people, she figured she may have gotten that from Lucas somehow since she certainly didn't get it from her. However once she got to know you, she would never shut up and you wouldn't even think that the girl was close to being shy.

* * *

"You okay, Nathan? You have been quiet all afternoon" Haley said worriedly as she and Nathan walked along the pier.

"I'm fine, Hales" Nathan muttered unconvincingly

"Yeah well you don't seem fine" Haley told him while rolling her eyes. "Is this about Lucas?"

Nathan stayed silent as they both came to a halt and leant against the barrier that was looking out over the river. "Just leave it, Haley. I don't want to talk about it"

"I know you don't, but Brooke is your best friend, she's a smart girl, Nate, I'm sure she knows what she's doing"

"But that's the thing, Hales!" Nathan snapped frustratingly "She doesn't know what she's doing when it comes to that loser! You didn't know what she was like back when they were dating, Haley. Yes, I know you saw bits of it…but she would have done anything for him, _anything_, he had so much power over her back then, I don't want it to happen again!"

Haley sighed and shook her head "They aren't seventeen anymore, Nathan. And either are you"

"I don't want him to hurt her like he did the last time, because he hurt her so bad" Nathan admitted sadly and took a deep breath to stop himself from getting angry.

"I know" Haley agreed "But this isn't about them as a couple…this is about Grace, and her getting to know her father, because she deserves to have a real Dad, Nathan. You can't deny her that" Haley told him seriously. "Just try and see this from her point of view" she finished before turning around and walking into one of the shops leaving Nathan alone to think about this thoughts.

* * *

"Thank you so much for this, Brooke" Lucas said sincerely as he walked towards her and they both looked towards Grace who was watching the TV. "She's amazing"

"Yeah she is" Brooke agreed with a small smile "So please don't mess her about, Lucas. I mean it" she warned him seriously.

"I swear to you, Brooke. I am here for the long haul…Keith gave me a job at the garage and I haven't touched a drink all week"

"And what about drugs?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lucas sighed "I stopped all the crap a while back, Brooke, I promise you"

"You better be telling the truth, Lucas, because I swear if you're taking drugs or even selling them, I don't want you anywhere near my daughter"

"I understand" Lucas nodded "But I have been clean for a long time now, Brooke."

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long has it been since you last took any sort of drug" Brooke asked him seriously. She needed to know for Grace's sake.

"About a little over a year" Lucas confessed "But I had a relapse about ten months ago, I'm fine now though, I don't even think about that crap anymore"

Brooke nodded and looked across towards Grace again who was still sitting watching the TV. "I don't want you to mess her about, Lucas. I mean it…one bad move with her and your gone!"

Lucas nodded in understanding "Okay, but I promise you, Brooke, I would never hurt Grace, never" he told her sincerely.

"Lucas!" Grace shouted over from her place on the couch "Come on! It's starting again!" she smiled widely.

Lucas smiled and looked back at Brooke who nodded before making his way back towards the couch and sitting next to his daughter.

Brooke sighed as she watched Grace explain bits and pieces to Lucas here and there about the TV show they were watching, with Lucas also sparking up small conversation every now and then and she noticed how he seemed to take an interest in every single word that her little girl came out with, and she spoke _a lot_.

* * *

"Hey Brooke!" Rachel shouted as she made her own way into her best friend's house but immediately came to a halt at what she saw. Lucas sitting on the couch with Grace watching TV was definitely not what she was expecting to see. She looked over to see Brooke at the other end of the room looking like a deer caught in headlights. "Okay…am I in the right house?" she asked confused and glanced at Lucas who was now standing up.

"Rachel" Lucas acknowledged as he dug his hands deep into his pockets.

Rachel looked at him with a raised eyebrow before looking back at Brooke who had walked a few steps towards her. "What's all this?"

Brooke bit her lip nervously and looked over at Lucas who didn't really know what to do, however the questions and silence had perked her five year olds attention and now she was the one speaking.

"Rachel!" Grace grinned excitedly and jumped from the couch and into the redhead's arms.

"Hey Gracie" Rachel said pulling out a smile and lifting Grace up into the air and holding her in her arms "How you doing? Kissed any boys today?"

"Ew no!" Grace gasped and shook her head furiously "Boys have cooties!"

"You say this now" Rachel smirked and winked at the five year old who was still disgusted at the idea of kissing boys. "So Brooke…what is this?" she asked looking back over at the older brunette.

"Lucas is watching TV with me!" Grace cut in with a huge smile on his face "Can you believe that he has _never _seen Hannah Montana!" she said gasping and turned to face the man who she didn't know was her father. "Even Aunt Rachel has seen Hannah Montana, Lucas!"

Lucas let out a nervous laugh and shrugged "Well I have seen it now" he answered and looked over at Brooke who stood stiffly with her arms crossed around her.

"Hey baby…why don't you go upstairs and get dressed in your P.Js" Brooke told her softly.

Grace pouted as Rachel placed her back on the floor and looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "But I want to stay down here with you, Lucas and Aunt Rachel" she sulked "Please Momma"

"Sorry baby…now go upstairs and get dressed okay?" she said a little sterner this time and Grace sighed before walking out of the room.

"So what the hell is this, Brooke?" Rachel asked in disbelief "Playing a game of happy families already?"

"Rachel, it's not like that!" Brooke argued.

"I just wanted to see my daughter" Lucas cut in hoping to help but Rachel didn't seem to care too much.

"Now? Well that's great…let's just stop living our lives because Lucas Scott is back in town!" she hissed towards him sarcastically "And what about Chase, huh? Your boyfriend…or have you forgotten about him already?" she said turning back to Brooke.

"Rachel" Brooke started in annoyance "Stop trying to interfere in things that you know nothing about!"

Rachel scoffed and shook her head. "Does he even know about this?"

Brooke looked down towards the floor and mumbled a no and Rachel let out a dry laugh. "Unbelievable, Brooke"

"It's not her fault!" Lucas cut in defending her "I came here without Brooke knowing, she wasn't expecting me to turn up on her doorstep like I did"

Rachel sighed loudly and looked towards her brunette friend "Do you know what you're doing?" she asked seriously.

Brooke looked hesitant to answer at first, because honestly she didn't really know what _she_ was doing, but she knew that Grace needed to know her father and she knew that this was the right thing for her. "Yes" she answered and held Rachel's firm gaze until the redhead broke it.

Rachel looked over at Lucas and put her hands on her hips "And you're serious about wanting to be in Grace's life?"

"Absolutely" Lucas answered confidently "More than anything"

Rachel sighed loudly "Fine" she muttered and looked over at Brooke. "I just hope you aren't making a mistake Davis, you have been through so much already because of him, I don't want you to get hurt again" she told her seriously and Brooke gave her a small smile.

"This isn't about me, Rach, it's about Grace"

"Yeah" Rachel agreed and looked over at Lucas with a glare "That little girl upstairs is the most precious person in the world and if you do _anything_ to hurt her and I mean anything then I will not be afraid to kick your ass and hang you out to dry! You got that, Scott?" she warned.

"I would never hurt her" Lucas replied sternly "She's amazing"

"Damn right she is" Rachel agreed and sighed again before taking a step back "Now I'm going to leave and pretend I never walked in on this, I would hate to be put in the middle between you, Chase and Nathan after all" she said with a small smile "Call me later"

Brooke nodded and gave her friend a small smile before watching her leave; she turned back to Lucas bit her lip nervously before saying. "It's getting late and Chase will be home soon so maybe you should head home…"

"Yeah" Lucas sighed disappointedly "Can I go and say goodnight to Grace first, though?" he asked hopefully.

Brooke nodded and gave him a small smile "Sure" she told him "Just go upstairs and her bedroom is the first on the left"

"Thanks" Lucas told her gratefully before leaving the room. Brooke sighed as she watched him walk out and ran her fingers through her hair tiredly.

* * *

"Hey" Lucas smiled softly as he nervously walked into his daughter's bedroom. He smiled when he saw Grace sitting up on her bed with the covers draped over her petite body and her back leaning against the headboard looking down at a book that rested on her lap.

"Hi Lucas!" Grace grinned "Where's my momma? She needs to read me my bedtime story!" she told him and Lucas smile grew wider at the thought, he just hated himself for missing out on all this.

"She will be up soon, I just came to say goodnight" he told her and knelt down beside her. "It's been good to meet you, Grace"

Grace smiled and then suddenly came up with an idea "Uncle Nathan is taking me to the park tomorrow! Maybe you can come!" she said excitedly.

Lucas looked down at the mention of his brother and he couldn't say that it didn't hurt him to know that a guy who he pretty much hated has been more involved and knows more about his daughter than he does. The same goes with that Chase guy, to say that he was jealous of the man would be an understatement, not only does he have Brooke, but he has his daughter too and it hurts to know that, but he only has himself to blame and he knows that. "Maybe not tomorrow" he told her softly and Grace pouted slightly and Lucas's heart melted even more, she was the cutest thing he had ever seen, and she was _his_ child. He didn't think he could create something so precious, him! Lucas Scott…the bastard of Tree Hill, no family, no friends…yet he had this little girl now, and it amazed him how she could be a part of a guy like himself. "How about another day?" he asked with a smile and Grace immediately perked up.

"And can we get ice cream?" she asked excitedly.

"Sure" Lucas grinned "We can do whatever you want" he smiled at her excitement; she actually wanted to spend time with him. Of course, she was only five years old and didn't exactly know who he was but it felt good to know that his daughter wanted to spend time with him. "But I better head home, it's almost past my bedtime!" he joked.

"You have a bedtime?" Grace asked with a gasp.

"Yep" Lucas grinned "Just like you" he joked and as he went to stand up he hesitated before nervously leaning over and kissing Grace's forehead softly. "Sweet dreams Pretty Girl" he whispered before standing up and turning around but coming to a halt when he saw Brooke standing by the door.

However Brooke didn't say anything to him, she looked passed him over to her daughter before saying "Baby, I will be up in five minutes to read you your story, okay?"

"Okay Mommy" Grace smiled before looking back at the pictures that were in her book.

Brooke and Lucas walked out of Grace's bedroom and slowly down the stairs before stopping at her front door; Lucas turned around with a small smile and nervously shifted from one foot to the other. "Thanks again for this, Brooke. You don't know how much I needed that" he told her genuinely "She really is great"

"Well she seems to really like you too" Brooke told him and smiled a little as she saw his smile widen.

"You think so?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah" Brooke answered almost shyly and nervously bit her lip "But we need to talk…not now…but sometime soon…I mean…I don't know what's going to happen with all of this, you know? You and Grace…Chase, it's all a little messed up right now"

"I know and I'm sorry" Lucas told her sincerely "If you want me to back off for a little while then I will…"

"I was going to ask you to do that" Brooke answered honestly and she could see the disappointment flash in her ex-boyfriends eyes before she continued "But…Grace likes you and it's not fair on her to miss out because of our problems"

Lucas nodded agreeing "I know, she's completely innocent in all of this"

"But I still don't want to rush things" Brooke told him seriously "I still don't trust you Lucas…about anything, and until I learn to trust you with my daughter…everything has to be on my terms, okay?"

Lucas looked down for a moment before nodding "Okay" he told her and slowly opened the front door and stepped outside but just as he was about to leave he turned around "I want to be a father to Grace, Brooke, even though I have technically only known her for a couple of hours, I feel like I have known her all her life already, you know? But there's still _so_ much that I don't know about her…I mean…I barely know anything about her, and I hate myself for that because I know that it's all my fault. But I'm serious about this, and I want to know everything about her because she's my daughter and I love her…I do, Brooke, and I will never hurt her. My life in these past five years, honestly…I have been an idiot, I drank and I drank and I took drugs and did stupid things while living in New York and even though I stopped the drugs a while ago, my life after that was still pretty messed up. But seeing you again…and my daughter, meeting her, I want to show you that I can _do_ this, I know I can…I want to prove to you that I am good enough to be a part of her life and to be a Dad to her like I should have been for the past five years, I want to prove that to you and to her…and then maybe, someday, I will show you that I'm worth giving a second chance to, and not just to Grace, but with you too" he told her, meaning their relationship. But he was serious, ever since returning to Tree Hill, he felt his life changing drastically, but for the better, and he was ready to be the man that Brooke was expecting him to be five years ago. "I'm ready for this, Brooke"

Brooke was honestly stunned by his speech, she certainly wasn't expecting that, but instead of responding she simply mumbled a goodbye and closed the door. She turned around and lay against it and closed her eyes tightly.

"Mommy! Come on! You said five minutes!" Grace's voice echoed through the house.

"Coming!" Brooke shouted back but still stayed where she was with her eyes closed, like she thought before, that was one hell of a speech…but just because Lucas was ready certainly didn't mean that she was. She wasn't ready for this, but she needed to be, for Grace. And as for the whole relationship part, that scared her…because for some reason when he said those words to her, she felt a million butterflies flutter in her stomach, and that wasn't good.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review and tell me, and again, thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, I love reading them. So yeah, review! :)

**Sara x**


	24. Only In Tree Hill

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

"Good morning" Keith smiled as Lucas walked into the small kitchen the next morning.

"Hey" Lucas replied with a nod.

"I'm sorry about the kids waking you" Keith told him apologetically "I asked them to wait until you had woken up before turning on the TV but they obviously didn't listen"

"It's cool" Lucas said with a smile "They seem like good kids"

"Yeah they are" Keith beamed proudly "They argue a lot but I love them"

Lucas gave him a small smile before walking around the table to make some coffee.

"So…you didn't really talk much about what happened last night" Keith pointed out "I know you got to see her but you haven't really talked about it"

Lucas nodded as he sat down "I think I messed things up" he told him honestly.

"Lucas" Keith sighed disappointedly "What happened to the whole trying to be a good Dad thing? What did you do?"

"No! No" Lucas cut in defensively "Not with Grace…she's great, but with Brooke" he told him.

"Why? What happened?"

"Well…I sort of said that someday I would try and win her back and I think I freaked her out a little" Lucas told his uncle with a cringe.

"A little?" Keith asked amused "You do realize that she has a boyfriend"

"Unfortunately" Lucas muttered coldly under his breath. "But I can't help it that I love her, Keith, I want to be with her"

"But does she love you?" Keith asked skeptically "And does she want to be with you?"

"No, probably not" Lucas admitted "I mean…she pretty much hates me, and I don't blame her…and I think I ruined whatever chances we had of even being friends last night"

"Well instead of talking to me about this you should go and talk to her"

"Nah" Lucas shook his head "I don't think that would be a good idea"

"Why not? Just tell her that you overstepped the mark last night and start again, for Grace's sake. Brooke is always going to do what's right for her daughter"

"You think?" Lucas asked hesitantly not so sure if he should go and see Brooke so soon. "Maybe I should give her some space…you know, a few days to get over what I said"

"And what good would that do?" Keith asked him seriously "Prove to her that you're still a coward?"

"But-" Lucas cut in defending but Keith continued.

"And what about Grace? Are you going to hide in here for a couple of days to heal your ego? What about her"

Lucas nodded his head and sighed "Yeah your right"

"I'm not often wrong" Keith joked with a smirk.

"Daddy!" A nine year old Lilly shouted as she ran into the kitchen "Andrew changed the channel while I was watching my favorite show!"

Lucas looked at Keith with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk appeared on his lips as Keith sighed before standing up and shaking his head at Lucas before following Lilly out of the room "Andrew!" Lucas heard his uncle's stern voice call out.

He sighed loudly to himself, trying to build up the courage inside of himself to go and see Brooke again.

* * *

"And then, Lucas said that he had never even watched Hannah Montana!" Grace explained to Chase in a gasp as the two of them and Brooke sat around the table eating breakfast. "But I told him everything he needed to know" she smirked proudly.

Chase nodded his head along but looked over at Brooke with a glare, he knew that his girlfriend had somehow decided to let her loser of a ex-boyfriend into her daughter's life but he didn't think that it would be so soon, and he certainly didn't think that the five year old would actually _like_ the asshole, never mind that she barely stopped talking about him all morning.

"Hey sweetie, why don't you go and put your shoes on? We are leaving soon" she told her daughter and Grace nodded with a smile before jumping off her seat and running quickly out the room. "No running in the house!" Brooke called after her.

"Okay!" Grace's screechy voice echoed into the kitchen but Brooke knew her daughter hadn't slowed down one bit.

"You know, you are going to have to get her to stop talking about Lucas so much before you drop her off at Nathan's" Chase told her in a cold tone.

Brooke rolled her eyes "She's fives years old, Chase, she doesn't know"

"Well then teach her"

Brooke glared at him "Lucas is her father…she likes him!"

"She doesn't know the real him"

"Yeah well neither do you!"

"Why the hell are you defending that creep? After everything he has done to you!" Chase hissed coldly.

Brooke frowned, why was she defending him? But then she thought about her precious beautiful daughter and she remembered why, it didn't matter if she didn't like Lucas, Grace did…and she was all that matters. "You know what, Chase, I have to go to work" she said ignoring his question and standing up before walking quickly out of the room.

* * *

"Now remember what we talked about" Brooke said as she looked into her mirror to look at Grace who was sitting in the back seat of the car.

"Don't mention Lucas to Uncle Nathan" Grace said with a nod.

"That's my girl" Brooke said with a small smile as she pulled up into the car park outside of Nathan's apartment building.

"But why, Momma? They could be friends!" Grace said confused.

Brooke let out a dry laugh at the thought of Lucas and Nathan actually being friends, yeah right! "Because baby, Uncle Nathan might get jealous because you have a new friend, you know that he likes to think of you as his princess, he doesn't want anyone else and he doesn't want you to have anyone else" the brunette explained as best as she could.

"So…Uncle Nathan wants me all to his self?" she asked still confused.

"Something like that" Brooke said as she got out the car and walked towards Grace's door and helping her out and grabbing her bag and walking into the building before taking Grace's hand in hers as they stepped up some of the stairs. "So remember not to mention him?"

"Okay" Grace told her as they walked towards Nathan's door before Brooke knocked on it. They waited a couple of seconds before Nathan finally pulled the door open.

"Hey princess" Nathan smiled as he leaned down and pulled Grace into his arms before blowing a raspberry into her cheek.

"Ew! Uncle Nate stop it!" Grace gasped in a giggle as Nathan chuckled and pulled away but still kept her in his arms.

"I will be back at three to pick her up, okay?" Brooke said as she looked everywhere but his eyes, they both knew that the subject of Lucas would have to come up between them soon but neither wanted to start it.

"Okay" Nathan mumbled as he took Grace's bag from Brooke. "I'm just going to take her to the park today and then to McDonalds for lunch so I will make sure we will be back here by then" he told her.

"Okay" Brooke replied repeating his earlier words "Well have a good day baby" she smiled at Grace and leaned over and kissed her forehead softly. "Be good for your Uncle Nathan"

"I'm always good, Mommy" Grace grinned widely.

"Uh-Huh" Brooke nodded with a small laugh knowing that wasn't always the case, especially with Nathan as he always seemed to let her get away with a lot more stuff than she did, and she let her daughter get away with a lot! "Call me if there's any trouble" she said towards Nathan.

"I will" Nathan said plainly before Brooke gave him a nod before turning around and walking away. "So Gracie, looks like it's just you and me" he grinned as he shut the door.

* * *

"Millicent, dear, please…stop hovering around me like some leach" Victoria snarled coldly towards younger girl.

"Victoria" Brooke's stern voice echoed through her store as she walked through the door "Don't talk to her like that"

"Not now, Brooke" Victoria said waving her off "We have work to do, our Summer line comes on sale today so we are going to be very busy and Millicent here was late opening up this morning so we are running a bit behind" she said in a plain yet cold tone.

"I'm sorry but I-" Millicent weakly started to explain but Victoria cut her off.

"Not now dear!" she snapped sharply before turning her attention towards her daughter "And you're late too"

Brooke rolled her eyes "It's _my_ business, I can be late if I want to be"

"Oh how mature" Victoria muttered in sarcasm "Anyway, you" she said looking back over at Millicent. "Make me an espresso, no sugar"

Millicent nodded her head "Yes Miss Davis" she said politely before leaving the front of the store and walking out back.

Brooke looked at her mother with a frown "You don't have to treat her as a slave, you know"

This time it was Victoria who rolled her eyes "Brooke, she is the _assistant_! That's why they do!"

"No, she is _my_ assistant and _my_ employee and you have no right to boss her about the way you do, are you not capable of making your own coffee?"

"We don't have time for this, Brooke" Victoria said in a firm tone "We are late enough as it is, so why don't you start doing inventory"

Brooke sighed and watched as her mother went on to do her own thing, there was no telling Victoria, she would do what she wanted anyway.

* * *

Lucas nervously looked at his reflection in a nearby car and straightened out his coat before taking a deep breath and walking towards Brooke's store. He opened the door and looked around the crowded store hesitantly, maybe coming to see his daughter's mother at work in her clothing store on a Saturday was not a good idea.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave planning on coming back later, the assistant he had spoken to the other week spotted him and waved him over with a smile. At least Brooke could hire some nice employees unlike her mother who was here the last time he 'dropped' by.

"Hi there" Millicent greeted him with a friendly smile "You decided to come back to find Brooke then?"

"Yeah" Lucas said with a nervous smile, he knew that this girl obviously didn't know who he was. "Uhm…is she around?" he asked as he looked around the crowded store to see her nowhere in sight.

"Yes she is just out back in her office; I can go and get her if you want?"

"No…No" Lucas replied quickly "It's busy and I really don't want to get in her way, I can come back later"

However Millicent waved her hand dismissing him "Don't worry about it, this is your second trip, we wouldn't want to make it another waste of one now would we?"

"No I guess not" Lucas mumbled as he stuffed his hands deep into his pockets.

"What was your name again?" she asked curiously.

"Lucas" he replied simply and Millicent nodded before walking into the back of the store giving Lucas the time to take a proper look of his ex-girlfriends store. She had certainly done well for herself, he thought. He didn't know much about fashion at all but he could still see that the stuff Brooke seemed to be selling here was of a high standard.

"What are you doing here, Lucas?" Brooke asked plainly as she walked out from the side door and behind the counter before facing Lucas.

Lucas gave her a small smile as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I just…" he trailed unsure of exactly what to say. "I wanted to apologize, for what I said to you yesterday, I was being honest but my comments about us were inappropriate and I overstepped the mark. But I am grateful for you letting me see Grace; honestly, you don't know how much yesterday means to me"

"Its fine, Lucas" Brooke told him tiredly and Lucas was actually surprised at how quickly she brushed it off, he thought she would have been pissed at him. "Just try not to do it again" she told him with a small smile "This is about Grace, not us"

"I know" Lucas agreed "And she is also the other reason I stopped by" he told her and Brooke nodded as she waited for him to continue. "I know that I'm probably rushing this and you can tell me to back off if you want to but I really had fun last night and I was just wondering if we could do that again, I want to get to know her more"

Brooke nodded and sighed "I know that, Lucas. But I can't forget that the past five years didn't exist, Grace and I have a life that doesn't involve you and it's not fair to me or to her or to anyone else involved that you can just come back like this and come into our lives"

"Which is why I am willing to work hard for you to let me be a part of it" Lucas said almost pleadingly "I just want to have other days like yesterday"

Brooke looked around the store for a moment before looking back at her ex-boyfriend. "Tomorrow" she told him. "Meet me at the park at two?"

"I'll be there" Lucas said with a wide smile.

"Good" Brooke replied "Don't mess this up"

"I won't, I promise"

Brooke nodded before saying "Well you should go, I mean…as you can see, we are busy and I have work to do"

"Yeah…okay" Lucas said with a smile "I guess I will see you tomorrow then?"

Brooke nodded before watching Lucas turn around and walk out of the store. "So…who is the hottie?" Millicent asked with a grin as she came up from behind Brooke.

Brooke sighed and looked at Millicent before looking back over to the door where Lucas just walked out of, she turned her head back to her assistant "That would be Grace's father" she told her plainly before walking away and back into her office leaving a shocked Millicent.

"Only in Tree Hill" Millicent mumbled to herself.

* * *

"Higher Nathan! Higher!" Grace squealed excitedly as Nathan pushed her on the swings in the park later that day. "Higher!"

"Gracie, if I push you any higher you're going to be in the sky!" he joked but he was pushing her pretty high.

"But I want to go to heaven!" Grace explained through her giggles.

Nathan let out a small laugh knowing that the little girl didn't understand about death just yet. "What possible reason could you have to go to heaven?" he asked amused.

"Because that's where my Daddy is" Grace explained to him in a matter of fact tone and Nathan immediately came to a halt.

"What?" he asked stunned as he held onto the swing so the whole thing stopped, he walked around and knelt down in front of her. "What makes you think he is in heaven?"

Grace shrugged "Because that's where people go when they disappear" she explained simply.

"Gracie" Nathan started and let out a nervous laugh. "Heaven is a place where good people go when they die"

"I know"

"But your Dad isn't dead" He explained hoping to get the little girl to understand.

However Grace was confused and looked at her uncle puzzled "But my Dad is dead"

"No…Gracie, he's not" He told her shaking his head.

"But Chase told me that he died and was in heaven" she said simply, not understanding what death actually is.

"What?" Nathan asked shocked as he ran his hand through his hair in disbelief, he stood up while picking Grace in his arms and took her over to the picnic bench and sat her town. "Okay Grace, your Dad is _not_ dead okay? He's not in heaven"

"But Chase told me he was"

"Well Chase is wrong" Nathan replied sternly "Okay?"

"Okay" Grace replied still not fully understanding "So my Daddy isn't in heaven?"

"No"

"Well then where is he?"

"Good question" Nathan muttered knowing that Lucas is back in Tree Hill and that Brooke was prepared to let him be a part of his niece's life, but what was in his mind at the moment was how Chase could tell a five year old little girl that her father was dead when he wasn't, it didn't matter how much of an ass Lucas is, it isn't Grace's fault and telling her something like that was uncalled for.

* * *

"So that guy is your ex-boyfriend?" Millicent asked still surprised at Brooke's revelation.

"Yes" Brooke replied plainly as she continued to sketch down her designs on the paper in front of her.

"Wow" Millicent mumbled "I certainly wasn't expecting that"

"Neither was I when he showed up here drunk the other week"

"Seriously?" Millicent asked in disbelief.

"Yep" Brooke answered "He says he's stopped all that crap now but I can't be sure"

"You don't trust him then?"

"No"

"I guess I wouldn't either" Millicent mused aloud "It must be strange though…seeing him again"

"I guess so" Brooke mumbled as she continued to furiously scribble her designs down.

"Did you love him?" Her assistant asked curiously.

Brooke looked up slightly annoyed "What's with all the questions, Millie? He is an ex-boyfriend who I just so happen to have a child with, it happens to a lot of people not just me!" she told her in frustration. "So just stop the 20 questions, please"

"Okay" Millicent mumbled backing off "I'm sorry for offending you, I was just curious" she told her apologetically.

Brooke sighed loudly "I know, and I'm sorry for snapping at you like that but I have so much going on in my head right now and I'm just trying to block it all out so I can do my work to make Victoria happy"

"I know that she's your mother but you are _her_ boss, not the other way around, if anything it should be _her_ trying to impress _you_" Millicent told her honestly but also hesitantly in worry that she was overstepping the mark again.

"You don't know my mother like I do, Millie, it's easier this way, she has done a lot for this company"

"And so have you" Millicent pointed out.

"But I couldn't have done it without her" Brooke said seriously. "This company would be nowhere if it wasn't for Victoria."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Brooke, you did this, you created this amazing business, not Victoria, _you_"

"I know that" Brooke told her and was about to continue but the voice of a customer calling for some help distracted the brunette from the conversation. She glanced at Millicent before walking around the counter and towards the woman that was asking for assistance. "Hi there, what can I help you with?" she asked politely and sending another glance at Millicent before turning her full attention back on the customer.

* * *

"Nathan!"

Nathan turned around to see his Uncle Keith approaching him. "Hey Keith" he smiled as he reached out his hand for Keith to shake. "What are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"I have the kids for the weekend" he explained.

"Oh yeah?" Nathan asked with a smile "Where are they, I haven't seen them in a while" he said looking around the park to see if he could find his cousins but they were nowhere in sight.

"Actually…" Keith started a little hesitantly "They are just over there with-"

"Lucas!" Grace's excited voice rang out throughout the playground and Nathan watched in horror as his niece ran towards his half brother who was walking into the park with Andrew and Lilly.

"Hi Grace" Lucas smiled widely to see his daughter running towards him; he bent down so he was level with her and grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"My Uncle Nathan brought me" Grace told him with a wide smile and Lucas immediately glanced up to see Nathan walking towards him with Keith right behind, and he could see that the younger brunette did not look happy.

"Back off!" Nathan's cold voice hissed towards him. "Back off!" he repeated when he noticed that Lucas still hadn't moved.

Lucas sighed before standing up and taking a step back much to the confused faces of the kids there, however Keith seemed to have noticed this. "Hey kids, why don't you three go and play on the swings?" he said motioning for them to go.

The three didn't disagree with him and they soon ran off into the playground leaving the three adults alone.

"How the hell does she know your name?" Nathan asked angrily and Lucas sighed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, he really didn't want to put Brooke in it but he also didn't want to look like a stalker.

"I've met her…" he trailed unsure of what else to say.

"What do you mean you have met her?" Nathan asked in anger and also a little shocked, there was a lot of things he was finding out today, first Chase telling Grace that her father was dead and then finding out that Grace had actually met her Dad but probably didn't even know about it, he didn't even know about!

"Yesterday" Lucas mumbled.

"I don't believe this" Nathan scoffed in disbelief "And I thought I told you to leave town! We don't fucking want you here!"

"Nathan" Keith's strict voice cut in "I don't think a playground full of small children is the right place to have this conversation."

"Well then where is? Huh? How can you be okay with him, Keith? After everything he has done! How can you be okay with that? How the hell can Brooke be okay with that!"

"Brooke isn't okay with it" Lucas stepped back in "But this isn't about me and Brooke, or you or Chase or anyone…this is about Grace" he told him calmly.

"Don't talk about her like you know her! You don't know what's best for her, you weren't there while she was growing up, you don't know a damn thing about her so why don't you back the hell off and leave town like I told you to before!"

"I'm not running away again, I'm going to do what's right for my daughter whether you agree with it or not" Lucas told him seriously and was surprised at himself with how calm he seemed to be staying.

"Nathan" Keith cut in once again "Maybe you should just take a step back, this isn't good for anyone, especially Grace"

Nathan muttered something under his breath before reluctantly taking a step back from his brother "Fine…but this isn't over" he warned and pointed at Lucas before turning around and walking towards the other side of the playground.

Lucas sighed and ran his hand over his head, all he wanted to do was be a Dad to his daughter, he knew he made mistakes but he was trying to make up for it now, why couldn't Nathan see that?

* * *

"Hello friend" Peyton smiled as she walked into Clothes over Bro's later that day. "How are you on this fine fine day?"

Brooke raised her eyebrow and looked at Peyton suspiciously. "Okay…who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

Peyton smiled. "What do you mean? Aren't I allowed to be cheery?"

"Peyt, no offence or anything but I'm supposed to be the cheery one in this relationship, not you. You're supposed to be the dark and gloomy one, since when did we have a personality swap?" she asked seriously.

"Ha-Ha" Peyton told her sarcastically "But seriously…guess what!"

"You're getting married to Brad Pitt?"

"No!" Peyton frowned "Although…I wouldn't complain with that…" she trailed.

"You have won the lottery!"

Peyton shook her head "No"

"Oh I know! You're pregnant!"

"NO!" Peyton interrupted quickly "Jeez, Brooke…can't you just ask me what?"

"You told me to guess" Brooke argued.

"It was rhetorical!"

"Oh whatever…just tell me" Brooke said getting excited as a million different possibilities ran through her head.

"I have just booked The Honorary Title to perform at Tric!" Peyton said jumping up and down with excitement.

That was not one of them.

Brooke frowned and blinked a couple of times confused "The Honorary what?"

Peyton rolled her eyes "You are so musically retarded"

"Ha!" Brooke spat sarcastically.

"Ha!" Peyton bit back with a smile "Anyway…they are a great band and they are coming to Tric next Friday! Can you believe that?" she asked excitedly.

"Well…yeah…" Brooke trailed "It's not like you haven't gotten great bands to perform there before"

"Urgh!" Peyton groaned "What is wrong with you? You are such a mood killer!"

"Sorry"

"Anyway…you're coming right?" Peyton asked eagerly.

"Sure why not, I would love to go and see The Honorary Cannon"

"_Title_, Brooke! The Honorary Title" Peyton corrected.

"Whatever, same difference" Brooke muttered lightly "But yeah…I mean it should be fun"

"Good" Peyton smiled "Right well I have to head out and get back to work…don't forget to spread the word!"

"I will…every customer that comes through this door I will tell them that The Honorary Cannon are performing in Tric next Friday" Brooke replied.

"It's The Honorary Title, Brooke, _TITLE_, It's not that hard!" Peyton scolded with a frown and stressed out the word title.

"Title then, sorry!" Brooke said with a small laugh. "Stress head!"

Peyton mockingly glared at her before walking out the store.

"Millie!" Brooke shouted over to her assistant "The Honorary Cannon are performing at Tric next Friday, spread the word!"

Millicent frowned confused. "Do you not mean The Honorary Title?" she asked.

"Sure" Brooke replied and waved off her mistake before walking back behind the counter and continuing her sketches.

* * *

"Hey" Brooke smiled as Nathan let her into his apartment at the end of the day. "How has she been?"

"Good" Nathan muttered under his breath and shut the door behind her. "But I found out some interesting things today"

"Like what?" Brooke asked confused but then immediately throught of Grace talking to Nathan about Lucas, she sighed, but she couldn't blame her daughter, she is only five years old. "Lucas"

Nathan nodded and looked at Brooke angrily "We saw him today, at the park with Keith and his kids, and to my surprise my niece ran towards him excitedly and was calling his name" he explained in a cold tone. "Do you know how that made me feel? It's bad enough that your letting him see her but to not tell me about it? What's up with that, Brooke?"

"I'm sorry" Brooke told him sincerely "I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how and I was scared of how you would react" she said honestly. "I'm sorry, Nathan"

Nathan sighed through gritted teeth and ran his hand through his hair "I know that I'm not her Dad, Brooke, but I helped raise her and I've been there for her and I love her so much so please, from now on will you just tell me about this stuff? Even if you think I won't like it, I need to know, Brooke, because I don't want you to shut me out of Grace's life"

"Nathan, I would never do that, _never_" Brooke told him seriously.

"But you have already started, Brooke, and I know that you thought you were doing the right thing or whatever reason you had, but I still need to know, I don't like the fact that as soon as Lucas comes back into the picture, I'm getting more and more pushed out of her life"

"That will never happen, Nate, I promise" Brooke told him softly "I know that our relationship has been rocky since Lucas came back to Tree Hill but I would never let that affect your relationship with Grace, she loves you too much, _I _love you too much"

Nathan gave her a small smile and nodded but then his smile faded and he looked over at his friend sympathetically. "But there's something else, and I know that you aren't going to like it…" he trailed.

Brooke frowned confused but also a little worried. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"It's about Chase…"

**

* * *

**

A/N: Well? I hope you all liked it, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and please review this one too, they always inspire me to write more and it does mean a lot.

**Thanks**

**Sara x**


	25. Small Steps

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

****

**A/N: So, I'm not quite sure if it has been 7 days since I posted that Authors Note but it has took me a little longer to get this chapter up than I first thought, simply because of my stupidity to be honest, it has happened 3 times, I have accidently pressed that little red cross button in the top corner without saving what I had wrote! So I had to rewrite it! Which means that some of the stuff that I first wrote isn't actually on this chapter since I couldn't remember word by word and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I accidently close it because normally when I go out on word, I just click on yes to save it when I close the window, and I'm still not used to writing straight into this site yet so hopefully I won't do it again.**

* * *

"Brooke, you can't still be mad at me, can you?" Chase asked in annoyance as Brooke walked into the kitchen on Friday morning without saying a word to her boyfriend.

"Grace is five years old, Chase, you don't tell a five year old little girl that her Dad is dead when he's _not_!" Brooke hissed coldly as she fumbled with the coffee machine distractingly.

"Well she asked me, Brooke! What the hell did you want me to say? That her Daddy didn't want her!" Chase argued.

"No! But you should have told her something else! I don't know...that he lived in a different country or something! I don't care, Chase! But you don't tell her that he is dead! And you should have come to _me_! I'm her Mom!"

"Yeah I think I know that, Brooke. But I helped raise her with you when you had nobody else! Nathan, Haley and Rachel were off at College and Peyton was doing her own thing! I was here when they weren't! When Lucas wasn't!"

Brooke slammed the coffee machine in frustration noticing that the machine was working very slowly. She groaned and rubbed her eyes over her head "I don't have time for this" she muttered "I have to go to work" she finished before going to leave the room.

"Yeah, go on then, Brooke, run off to work" Chase spat coldly causing Brooke to turn around.

"What the hell is your problem?" Brooke asked angrily "Why are you acting like such an ass?"

"I'm not the one who has been acting differently ever since their ex-junkie of an ex-boyfriend crawled his ass back to town, not to mention, let her daughter see him! How do you know he is even clean, Brooke?"

"He hasn't touched the drugs in a year" Brooke defended her ex. "And I'm only doing what's best for Grace, she deserves to know her real Dad and honestly, Chase, I am sick of having this conversation with everyone!"

"Yeah well then what the hell does Lucas have over you then, huh?"

"What are you talking about" Brooke frowned confused "Lucas has nothing over me"

"But there's something there, right? With him?"

Brooke scoffed "Of course not"

"Well then why are you always so quick to defend him? After everything that he has done to you, why are you always the first one to jump to his defence" Chase quized coldly.

"Because everyone deserves a second chance, Chase, including Lucas"

"You see, even the way you say his name is different!" Chase shouted in disbelief.

Brooke let out a bitter laugh "Oh my god, I can't believe I am staying here to listen to this, you are being an idiot, and I am going to go work before I say something that I might regret" she told him angrily before walking out of the room.

"Oh that's great Brooke! Run away like you always do!" He shouted after her and Brooke shook her head angrily before slamming the front door behind her but immediately cringed when she realised that Grace was still asleep, but the girl could be a deep sleeper a lot of the time so she hoped that would be the case this morning.

* * *

Brooke looked down at her watch as she parked her car down the road from her Clothes 'over' Bro's store and cursed as she realised that she was late, if her Mother was there she would probably be throwing a tantrum right now. She quickly grabbed her purse and her bag from the back before jumping out the car and locking up before speed walking down the street towards her store. She quickly swung the door open to see customers already looking through the racks and gave an apologetic smile as she saw Millicent standing behind the counter.

"Oh Milli, I am _so_ sorry that I am late! _Again_" She apologised quickly and placed her stuff on the counter "I slept in and then there was this stupid thing with Chase, and then of course traffic on the main street was _really_bad and then Rachel called me on the way over so I had to pull over to talk to her because she claimed that it was something important but it really wasn't, all she wanted was some advice on what she could wear tonight for Tric so of course I got really pissed off at her and then this stupid truck driver wasn't exactly helping by cutting me off when I tried to pull out! Not to mention that traffic was already a bitch" she rambled without taking a breath and looked at Millicent who was nodding along, being used to Brooke talking at a million miles an hour. "So yeah" she breathed out "Sorry"

"It's okay, Brooke" Millicent smiled "Victoria called earlier saying that she is held up in New York so she won't be back until Monday" she told her boss.

Brooke smiled "That's brilliant" she commented.

"Oh and there's someone here to see you" Millicent remembered "He's waiting in your office"

"Great" Brooke muttered sarcastically remembering that some rich buyer from some stuck up company that her Mother was friendly with was supposed to be coming over sometime over the weekend and she was even less thrilled to hear that the propped up Hampton's reject was a man. She straightened out her outfit and ran her fingers through her waved curls before walking around the back and into her office. "Hi there-" she started but got cut off when the man turned around to be Lucas. "Lucas" she sighed.

"Hi" Lucas greeted nervously with a smile.

"What are doing here?" Brooke asked getting straight to the point.

"I haven't heard from you all week" Lucas mumbled quietly "I just..." he trailed unsure of he was overstepping the mark. "I just wanted to know if I would be able to see Grace again"

Brooke sighed, she hadn't meant to ignore Lucas, but what did he expect? Yes, she said that he could be involved in Grace's life but slowly, she had had a busy week with work and not to mention the whole argument with Chase about Lucas's 'death', and of course Nathan finding out that she had already let Lucas meet Grace, she just didn't want to deal with him while she had other things going on. "I know, I'm sorry" she half-hearted apologise.

"But you aren't" Lucas caught her out, he wasn't stupid, whether Brooke liked it or not, he _knew her. _"I don't understand, Brooke, you say I can meet my daughter and get to know her but you don't answer my phone calls, you haven't made a single effort since last week for me to see Grace. I don't get it, how am I supposed to prove myself to you that I can be a good father if you won't even give me the chance?"

"Lucas, I have just had a bad week, that's all" Brooke told him but she did feel guilty about it now, he did kind of have a point. "Look, maybe...maybe we can meet up tomorrow" she suggested.

Lucas smiled and nodded his head "I would like that, I mean...I will have to ask Keith if I can take a few hours off work but I'm sure he won't mind" he said gratefully. "Thank you"

Brooke shrugged and gave him a small smile "Sure"

"So uh..." Lucas started and rubbed the back of his neck "How have you been"

"Fine" Brooke answered abruptly but her face softened when she saw the disappointed look on the blonde's face. "I've been okay" She re-answered "Work has been pretty hectic this week"

"You have done well for yourself, Brooke" Lucas told her honestly "I mean look at this place, you own your own business! A clothing store, it's amazing"

"You really think so?" Brooke asked sighing as she walked around the desk and sat down on her large leather chair and leaned back, Lucas sitting on the chair across from the desk. "I love my job, I do, and Clothes 'over' Bro's is a dream come true" she told him and Lucas nodded as he waited for her to continue. "But it's not everything, you know? At the end of the day, it's just a job, right?"

"Maybe" Lucas shrugged "But I always thought that it would have been your dream" he commented "I remember back in High School, how passionate you were about clothes, I mean, you used to drag me around the mall at least once a week!" he smirked.

Brooke let out a small laugh but then it faded as she looked around "But it feels like every day this is becoming less and less fun, and then what's the point of it all?"

Lucas stayed silent for a few seconds as he thought about what she had just said before replying "Maybe you just need to take a s,tep back, like you said, if you aren't enjoying this like you used to then maybe you need to go back to the way things were before" he suggested with a small shrug.

"That's easier said than done" Brooke pointed out with a bitter laugh "You don't have my mother as your CEO"

"Yeah" Lucas replied curiously. "What's with that anyway? Your Mom? I thought you hated her?"

"I do" Brooke mumbled under her breath but when she realised that wasn't a very good reason she carried on. "After..." she trailed awkwardly "After you left" she continued and Lucas immediately cringed but let her carry on "I started up a website, Mouth helped me, I made designs from home and sold them online to make some quick cash, the only problem was that loads of people were buying them, _too _many people, but Haley and Peyton helped me, and then even Rachel gave us a hand and soon my little clothing line became bigger than an online store, by this time, my parents came back to Tree Hill and they found out I was pregnant so they kicked me out" she said letting out a small laugh "So, they found small place for me, to keep me quiet, just big enough for me and the baby when it came, the line was paying my rent, even though I found it hard to keep up with the demands" she told him, completely forgetting who exactly she was talking to. "When I graduated, Grace was almost 1 year old and things were pretty hard but I managed, but for the summer, I went to California, just me, Peyton and Grace, I didn't know it at the time but my parents were there, for some odd reason, my Mom let us stay in one of our beach houses and then she found out about Clothes 'over' Bro's and she said that there was no reason why I couldn't make it great. I agreed." she sighed "Basically, flash forward 4 years and she has helped me create this amazing business" she felt exhausted after explaining all of that, it all happened so fast, before she knew it, her Mother was controlling more parts of the company than she was.

Lucas sat silently thinking about what she had just told him, he couldn't help but feel like shit in all honesty. "I'm sorry, Brooke" he told her sincerely.

"Don't" Brooke muttered "Don't apologise for something you can't change"

"I know but I wish I could. I was _so_ messed up back then, everything with Dan and my Mom and Keith just fucked up my life, it turned me into a man that I _hate_, and I let him get to me, I let his words stick inside of me and eat me up to the point where I couldn't take it anymore, so instead of doing the right thing and talking to _you_ about it and ignoring what he said, I ran away, like I always do, and I am so sorry for that, Brooke, you have to know that. Leaving you back then, leaving that _stupid_ stupid note and running off after just being stabbed, is the biggest regret of my life, not getting to know my daughter is the biggest mistake I have ever made, and I have done a lot of questionable things in the past"

"Like what?" Brooke asked bluntly and raised her eyebrows.

"Huh?" Lucas stuttered out, being caught off guard.

"What kind of stupid things? The ones I don't know about anyway" She pointed out "I know you moved to New York, but what exactly did you do there?" she asked him curiously.

Lucas sighed and rubbed his eyes "I fucked up everything. I drank, I smoked, I took drugs-"

"Girls?" Brooke cut in over him.

"Not really" Lucas admitted much to Brooke's surprise "I'm not going to lie to you and say that I didn't have a few one night stands while I was gone because I did, but not at first, not until at least a year after I left Tree Hill, I wasn't interested in girls in New York, I wasn't really interested in anything" he confessed "I just spent my days high and my nights drunk, I can't even remember half of it"

"So then what changed?" Brooke asked "Why did you come back? Why did you stop taking drugs? Because if you were telling the truth in saying that you have been clean for almost a year now, then something must have happened for you to make that change"

"I got busted, by the cops once, I wasn't actually high at the time, but I was caught selling some weed to this guy at a club, I was lucky and was let off with just a warning, but my old roommate, Carl, he pretty much threatened to kick me out if I didn't stop"

"So that was it? You just stopped?"

"No" Lucas mumbled "It was hard, _really_ hard, but I did try, although, it took me a while, a long time, but Carl stood by me for some reason, he was strict but understanding and then eventually I just stopped _needing_ them, but they were still a part of my life, I still needed to make money and selling shit was the only way that I have ever known, a year goes by...I throw one of many parties and the place gets trashed, I can't even remember it happening, I was drunk, but Carl came back the next morning with his new girlfriend who really hated me, he is _pissed_ at me, like _so_ mad and his girl pretty much influenced him to kicking me out" he told her "I jumped in my truck, still half drunk from the night before, and I drove, didn't know where I was going, then I saw a sign saying that I had just entered North Carolina and I almost crashed there and then"

"So...what? You didn't come here because you wanted to?" Brooke asked shocked.

"Not at first, but I came to Tree Hill for a reason, Brooke, I came because I knew that I needed to sort my life out, I needed to change things, I still do. My life is no where near perfect, people, including you probably, would say that I'm a bad guy, I don't know, maybe I am...but I want to change that, I need to change that, if not for you then for Grace"

"You're telling the truth, right?" Brooke asked hesitantly.

"Of course I am" Lucas told her honestly "Brooke, I wouldn't lie to you, I have done a lot of stupid shit and I know I have caused you a lot of pain, but I have never lied to you"

"You promise that won't change?" she asked quietly.

"I swear to you" Lucas told her and held her gaze firmly for a few seconds as the brunette stayed silent.

"Okay" Brooke mumbled quietly "I know that you still have a lot of issues, I get that, and I still don't trust you, but I can see that you are telling the truth and that you're serious about this"

"100 percent serious" Lucas cut in.

"Which is why..." Brooke trailed nervously and let out a shaky breath "Which is why I think now is the time to tell Grace the truth about you. I want her to know that you are her father"

* * *

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Nathan raged with anger as he slammed his fist against the table in anger. "No way, Brooke! No way in hell!"

"Nathan...calm down" Haley cut in and rubbed his arm soothingly but Nathan shrugged.

"Calm down? What the hell, Brooke? Why would you want to do that? The guy hasn't even been back a month!"

"It's the right time" Brooke muttered and rubbed her eyes tiredly, she looked across the room to see Peyton and Rachel standing silently by the door in Peyton's kitchen. "Don't be mad" she pleaded "Grace needs to know who her father is"

"But, Lucas!" Nathan shouted angrily "You can't trust the guy!"

"Nathan..." Haley trailed "Brooke knows what she's doing"

"No,I don't think she does" Nathan muttered coldly. "She's delusional when it comes to Lucas Scott, and she knows it!"

"This is not about me!" Brooke argued "And if you think that Lucas is going to take your place in Grace's life then you're wrong! She loves you, Nathan, nobody is going to replace you, not even Lucas!"

Nathan stayed silent as he turned around to vent his frustrations silently giving Brooke the chance to see what her other friends thought about her decision to tell Grace that Lucas is her father.

"Guys?" she asked hesitantly looking across the room to Peyton and Rachel who had stayed surprisingly quiet since she broke the news, she didn't feel like she needed to ask Haley's opinion as the girl seemed to have her back already on this one and she was grateful to her for that.

"It's your life, Brooke" Rachel shrugged "Do what you think is right"

"Thanks" The brunette replied with a small smile before turning to face her best friend. "Peyt?" she asked nervously.

Peyton glanced over at Nathan before looking back at her oldest friend before nodding "You know what's best Brooke, even if your decisions are questionable sometimes"

Brooke was just about to thank her but Nathan beat her to it. "Oh great, I don't believe this, what is wrong with you all?"

"This isn't your decision to make" Rachel cut in.

"Look" Haley continued "Why don't we just end this conversation here before we all say things we are going to regret, we will all go to Tric tonight and forget about this and have fun, we are only 22 years old, we should be having fun!" she smiled. "Come on guys, who's with me?"

"I am" Rachel quickly answered.

"Yeah and me, I could really use your support tonight as well" Peyton joined in.

"Brooke?" Haley asked raising her eyebrow at the brunette.

"Yeah I guess so" Brooke sighed and gave them a small smile for reassurance.

"Nathan?" Haley looked over at the stubborn male in the room and pouted towards him.

Nathan grunted and looked across the room and it was times like these that he realised that he is the only man in their small group of friends. "Fine" he huffed "If I have to"

"Good" Haley smiled "Come on, you're dropping me home" she said to Nathan before grabbing his arm and escorting him out of the house.

Brooke watched him go and let out a sigh of relief, she knew this argument wasn't over but at least they were able to put it aside, even just for a little while. She turned to face Peyton and Rachel and the redhead smirked at her before opening her mouth to speak...

"So, how has Chase took this news yet?" she asked with her signature smirk and single raised eyebrow.

"Ah" Brooke mused and bit on her bottom lip "I haven't exactly...told him yet" she confessed with an innocent smile.

"Brooke!" Peyton and Rachel sighed loudly at the same time and Brooke let out a nervous laugh.

* * *

"You be good tonight for Millie, okay?" Brooke told her daughter as she ran her fingers through the youngsters brunette locks.

Grace gave out her signature grin and nodded her head "Of course I will be good" she told her mother "But are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" she asked innocently.

Brooke let out a small laugh "I'm sure baby girl" she nodded with a smile.

"Okay" Grace sighed disappointingly "But you look really pretty Momma" she commented.

"Aww thanks princess" Brooke gushed and looked down at her red dress that flowed down her body to just above her knees. "And you don't look to bad yourself" she smirked as she looked down at Grace's pink fairy PJs.

Grace giggled and twirled around which made both Brooke and Millicent laugh out loud. Brooke stood up and turned to her assistant before saying. "So are you sure that you don't mind doing this? Because I can stay home if you want to go to Tric with Mouth". Millicent had offered to babysit Grace in the middle of the week and Brooke had only found out today that Millie's boyfriend, Mouth, would be attending Tric, Brooke insisted that Millicent cancel on her and join her man for a good night out at Peyton's club but her assistant who had became a dear friend in past year or so and told Brooke that she was to tired and would much rather spend some quality time with her favorite 5 year old.

"We will be fine, Brooke" Millicent smiled "It's not like I haven't done this before and it's not like this is the first time you have insisted on staying home when you should be really looking forward to having fun with your friends, because you _are_ allowed to have fun Brooke Davis" she joked. "Just because you are a Mom and are the owner of a _very _successful does not mean that you can't go out and enjoy yourself!"

Brooke let out a small laugh knowing that Millicent was right, she did need to have fun every now and then. "Okay, well call me if you need anything, and if for whatever reason you can't get through, I have left Chase's cellphone number on the fridge, okay? So call me if you need _anything_"

Millicent laughed at her boss and nodded her head, hearing all of this a million times before. "Absolutely"

"And you" Brooke smiled and leaned back down to face her daughter "You behave and have fun" she told her and kissed her cheek softly.

"I will! And you too Momma!" Grace smiled and hugged her tightly before Brooke stood back up and grabbed her purse just as she heard the beeping sound coming from outside telling her that her cab had arrived. "Okay, bye" she said one last time before leaving the house.

"Okay" Millicent smiled and turned to Grace "What should we get up to tonight?"

* * *

Brooke and Rachel pushed through the crowds at Tric and made their way towards the bar, surprised at how many turned out tonight, Tric was always a popular club, _always_busy on the weekends and never empty during the weeknights but everytime Peyton managed to get a great successful nationwide band to come and perform, the place would be swarming with people that weren't just the regulars.

"I hate it when Tric is this busy" Rachel moaned as she slumped down on the stool at the bar, both of them lucky enough to find the seats together.

Brooke let out a small laugh as Owen the bartender walked towards them. "And how are the two most beautiful girls in the room" he smirked as he brought out two shot glasses and placed them on the bar before filling them up to the top and sliding them towards the two girls, Rachel not hesitating in taking hers and downing it in one.

"You're eager to get us drunk tonight, huh Owen?" Brooke asked with a smirk as she picked up the shot glass "Because I can't remember ordering these"

"I know" Owen smiled "But I figured it would be exactly what this redhead right here would order" he smirked and Rachel nodded her head before motioning for another one just as Brooke finished her first

"You know me so well" Rachel shrugged before downing her next one quickly.

Brooke was going to tell her friend to slow down but she knew that she could handle her drink and that she wouldn't listen anyway. "So...busy night?"

"Oh yeah" Owen nodded as he looked around the crowded club. "I think the boss is feeling a little overwhelmed by it all"

"Yeah I bet" Brooke commented as she looked around to see if she could find her best friend but there was no such luck.

"So...no Chase tonight then?" Owen asked stating the obvious. Brooke shook her head as Owen continued. "Where is he?"

"You know...the usual" Brooke shrugged as unconsciously played with her glass that Owen had just placed in front of her.

"I figure the club he works in will be pretty quiet tonight" Owen mused "Since everybody seems to be here, maybe you should call him, tell him to drop by"

Brooke shook her head "I know what you're doing, Owen, but don't, Chase and I are fine thank you very much!"

"I'm just trying to look out for my friend" Owen defended, he and Chase had been good friends with college and the bartender didn't want his friend to get hurt.

"Well then talk to _him_ about it" Brooke muttered "I'm sure he has been telling you _everything_, leaving out _no_ details at all!" sarcasm dripped out of her voice as she knew that Chase always tended to always tell _his_ side of the story.

"Yeah he has told me some things, but I know what he's like" Owen spoke out almost as if he was reading Brooke's mind, he was good like that, she figured it had something to do with years of being a bartender, listening to all sorts of different problems coming out of tipsy people every night. "And you're my friend too, Brooke, I know things have been tough for you lately"

"Well then you would know that I don't want to talk about it here" Brooke muttered and Owen nodded understanding.

"Are you guys finished with the heart to heart yet?" Rachel asked in a bored tone as she looked between them both "Because I plan on having fun tonight and that does not include a depressed Brooke Davis"

"I'm not depressed!" Brooke gasped and looked at her friend annoyed.

"Well then drink up Davis and get drunk with me!" Rachel smirked as she motioned for Owen to pass another shot towards them and he gladly did so.

* * *

"Come on guys! I can't hear you, you can be louder than this, right?" Peyton laughed through the mic as she stood on the stage and looked across to the masses of heads of people that were here tonight. The shouts and screamed echoed around the room and this was what made her feel alive, all the stress she was feeling was simply wiped out by their excited screams and the music that would soon follow. "Okay, Okay" she chuckled as she quietened them down so she could hear herself think. "The Honorary Title are backstage!" she said loudly and the room erupted once again into cheers "But performing first is a girl that is very special to me, she's new to all of this so go easy on her" she smiled as she turned her head to the side to see her nervous artist taking deep breaths on the stage stairs. "Let's give it up for Mia!" she shouted excitedly before quickly walking off the stage and Mia coming on.

Brooke smiled from her place at the bar as Mia nervously looked around the room before giving her greeting with a quiet hello before nervously beginning her first song, she noticed that it didn't take long for the young girl to get into things and pretty soon she was singing as if she had done this a million times before. She was happy for Peyton, her best friend had worked hard to get to where she was today and she couldn't be more proud, the fact that she had found an amazing artist like Mia and had managed to organise events and bands such as Fall Out Boy and The Honorary Title said it all.

She bobbed her head along to the beat of 'No Good' as she realised that this night was turning out to be really fun, drinking, dancing and basically just laughing with her friends all together was something that didn't happen very often, yes, she went for nights out and she came to Tric fairly regularly but the last time herself, Rachel, Nathan, Haley and Peyton all managed to be there at the same time was surprisingly rare.

"Brooke"

She turned around and gave a half smile as Owen came up behind the bar and her smile widened as he placed her favorite alcoholic drink down in front of her. "Oh thanks Owen" she smiled gratefully as picked up the glass.

"Actually" Owen started "It's not from me" he said much to Brooke's confusement. "It's from that guy over there" he said nodding his head to the direction to the other side of the bar and Brooke followed his gaze and widened her eyes in surprise. She put the drink back down and stood up from her stool and walked around the bar leaving a puzzled Owen.

"Thanks but no thanks" Brooke mumbled as she approached the culprit.

"It's just a drink, Brooke"

"I know, Lucas" Brooke sighed "But...we aren't _friends_, okay? I want you to be a father to Grace but that's all"

"Well why can't we be friends?" Lucas asked seriously. "I loved talking to you today, it reminded me of how much I missed that part of you"

"Well don't" Brooke told him bluntly "This isn't about you and me, this is about our daughter"

Lucas smiled and looked at Brooke with his familiar boyish grin.

"What are you smiling at?" Brooke asked confused.

"You called her _our_ daughter" He pointed out grinning like an idiot "I have never heard you say that before"

Brooke sighed loudly "What are you even doing here, Lucas?" she asked ignoring her 'mistake', deciding it was best to just let that comment slide.

Lucas shrugged "I heard The Honorary Title were playing so I thought I would come and check it out"

"And you're drinking?" Brooke asked skeptically and pointed to the beer bottle that was place on the bar in front of her ex-boyfriend.

"I'm not an alcoholic, Brooke" Lucas muttered annoyed and also a little disappointed that she thought that.

"Are you not?" she asked unsure.

"I'm not" he told her firmly "I can have a couple of drinks without getting completely wasted"

"I hope so" Brooke mumbled.

Lucas grunted and looked down at the bar almost sadly. "Why is that so hard for you to believe? Do I look that screwed up to you?"

Brooke looked at him guiltily, it wasn't that she thought he was an alcoholic but the first time she saw him in 5 years, he was drunk, she just still wasn't sure what to think of that. "Because I thought you said you had changed..." she trailed unsure of what else to say.

"I'm 22 years old, I'm allowed to have a drink when I'm in a freaking bar. Unlike back in High School, I'm not breaking any laws!" Lucas said in frustration at Brooke's lack of trust in him, he was trying to change but how could he when she always thought the worst of him, this was just the perfect example, he comes into a club, simply because a band he likes is playing, he orders a beer and she accuses him of being an alcoholic.

"I know" Brooke told him apologetically "I'm sorry"

"Yeah" Lucas mumbled as he played with the sticker label on his beer.

Brooke stayed silent as she looked towards the stage where Mia was saying her thank yous and watched as Peyton took the stage and after getting the crowd excited once again, she introduced The Honorary Title and she turned to see that Lucas wasn't even watching, she felt a little guilty for ruining his night. "Hey" she said softly gaining his attention.

Lucas looked up surprised that she was still even standing next to him and looked at her curiously.

"You're missing The Honorary Canon" Brooke smiled as she motioned to the stage where the band began to sing their first song. Lucas laughed and Brooke looked at him puzzled. "What?" she asked with a frown.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head "The Honorary _Title_, Brooke. They are called The Honorary Title"

"Yes I know, why do people keep on saying that, I'm not deaf!"

Lucas laughed even louder and even Brooke broke out a smile and laughed along with him.

"You are something else Brooke Davis, has anybody ever told you that?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah" Brooke said softly and smiled at him, looking him in the eyes "Someone did, a long time ago" she finished holding his gaze.

Lucas smiled and nodded, still holding her gaze, and feeling that maybe they have just started to take a small step in the right direction.

* * *

**A/N: Well? Did you like it? I really hoped so, I think this chapter was fairly long too so I hope that made up for the long wait, I will try not to let that happen again but I can't garuentee since my school work has a lot of deadlines lately.**

**Also, thank you to everyone who replied to my Author's Note and for understanding, it really means a lot to know that my readers aren't mad at me for not updating sooner, I get that you probably would prefer it if I did though! So I will try :)**

**Thanks again guys, and PLEASE REVIEW! Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Sara x**


	26. Not Black and White

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

_Flashbacks in this style of writing!_

* * *

"Mia! You were amazing out there!" Peyton squealed excitedly as Mia walked off the stage into the backstage area. "Wow!" she gasped happily.

"You really think so?" Mia asked with a small nervous smile and Peyton nodded her head furiously.

"Of course you were! Tell her, Nathan"

"Yeah" Nathan smiled joining in "You really were awesome" he complimented honestly as he handed her a bottle of water.

"Thank you" Mia grinned as she took a deep breath "I still can't believe that I just did that though!" she admitted before taking a large sip from her water. "I was so scared!"

"Well you did and I am so proud of you!" Peyton gushed "They loved you out there!"

"Well look who it is! Can I have an autograph?" Haley teased as she approached the small group "Mia you were amazing out there!"

"I didn't look too nervous though, did I?" Mia asked skeptically.

"You did a little bit at first" Haley told her honestly "But you soon got into the swing of things girl!" she smirked "That was the best I have ever heard you sing!"

"Thanks" Mia giggled with excitement and Peyton joined in with her before linking arms with her artist and went to go and watch The Honorary Title perform.

"Hey, you haven't seen Brooke and Rachel have you? I haven't seen them in a little while" Haley said as she looked around the backstage area to see if she could spot them.

Nathan shook his head "Nope, last time I saw them they were at the bar talking to Owen" he said with a shrug "I wouldn't be surprised if they were still there"

"Okay well I am going to go and find them, you coming?" She asked as she took a step back but Nathan shook his head.

"Nah, I think I will just hang around here with Peyton, it's way to crowded out there" He told her and Haley nodded before walking away.

* * *

Lucas smiled as he clapped his hands hard as The Honorary Title finished one of his favorite tracks, Brooke, who sat next to him at the bar hadn't ever heard a single one of their songs so she just clapped along and followed the crowd, unsure of what else to do, they were good though, she would admit that, even if it wasn't her style of music.

"You enjoying yourself?" Lucas asked loudly over the music.

"What?" Brooke shouted not hearing what he had said.

"I said...Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked again with a smile and Brooke shrugged and nodded her head.

"Yeah they are pretty cool" She replied not giving too much away.

"Just pretty cool?" Lucas asked with a raised eyebrow "Do you not think they are good live?"

"Yeah they are alright" Brooke shrugged "But I thought Mia was better, she's a tough act to follow!"

"Oh you mean that girl who sang first?" he asked and Brooke nodded "Yeah she was pretty good"

"She was awesome" Brooke gushed "Which reminds me that I need to go and find her to congratulate her"

"Wait, you know her?" Lucas asked curiously.

"Yeah" Brooke nodded "She's on Peyton's record label, which Clothes's 'over' Bro's sponsor"

Lucas raised his eyebrows surprised "You guys have done well for yourselves" he commented.

"Yeah I guess we have" Brooke agreed as she looked up to see Owen approaching them.

"You want another drink, Brooke?" He asked as he eyed Lucas suspiciously up and down.

Lucas noticed this and immediately tensed up, almost like he used to do in High School when he felt like someone was trying to get to close to his girl.

"No I'm fine" Brooke answered him with a smile and pointed down to her half empty glass of the drink that Lucas bought her.

"You sure?" Owen asked again and sent a wary glance towards Lucas.

"She said she is fine" Lucas cut in defensively.

Brooke frowned and looked at Lucas not expecting him to jump in the conversation.

"I wasn't talking to you man" Owen spat back towards the blonde coldly.

"No, well she said she's fine so end of discussion" Lucas quickly answered.

Owen was the one to frown this time as looked hard at Lucas. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nah I don't think so" Lucas said in a not so nice tone and the two boys almost forgot that Brooke was still there.

"No I do" Owen mused "I don't forget faces and I certainly remember yours"

Brooke looked between them both confused "Okay...this is getting a little strange" she commented honestly and Lucas looked at her and shrugged.

"I have never met this guy in my life" Lucas told her and looked back at Owen "You must have gotten me mixed up with someone else"

"Yeah...maybe" Owen muttered still unconvinced, he had definitely seen this guy before. He turned his attention back to the brunette and gave her a small smile. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Brooke nodded her head still confused between the conversation that just took place as she watched Owen walk back towards the other side of the bar, she turned her head back to her ex-boyfriend, "What was that all about?" she asked him curiously.

Lucas shrugged "I have no idea" he replied, still not liking the way the bartender was eying him up, or even the way he looked at his ex.

* * *

"Owen!" Rachel shouted loudly as she tapped her finger impatiently against the bar "Owen!" she shouted again getting annoyed at the lack of attention her favorite bartender was giving her tonight.

"Patience, Rach" Haley laughed as she approached the redhead.

"I'm thirsty, Hales" Rachel told her in a duh tone. "And the service in here is TERRIBLE!" She shouted twice as loud to try and get Owen's attention, which this time worked.

"The same again, Rachel?" Owen asked with a smirk as he walked towards the two girls and brought out two glasses before filling them up and sliding them over the bar, Rachel letting out a small grunt and snatching the glass from his hand. "You should learn your manners Miss Gatina, this is the part when you're supposed to say thank you"

"Well I would if the hospitality in here wasn't so crap!" Rachel told him seriously before taking a large sip from her drink.

Haley let out a small laugh and looked up at the tall bartender. "Thanks Owen" she smiled and he nodded his head appreciatively.

"At least someone around here knows how to be polite" Owen joked and Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway" he continued "Who's the guy with Brooke?"

"What guy?" Haley asked confused and Owen nodded towards the direction in where Brooke and Lucas sat. "Ah" she sighed and bit her lip and looked back at Rachel who wasn't listening in their conversation which meant that she hadn't seen who Brooke was sitting with tonight which was probably a good thing considering the girl had clearly too many drinks. "That would be someone that I'm surprised Brooke is talking to" she said honestly before standing up and walking towards them.

"Brooke" Haley called out as she approached them and Brooke turned around startled, almost as if she had been caught out, which is pretty stupid if she thought about it considering she isn't exactly hiding the fact that she is talking to Lucas, especially since they are in a very crowded Tric.

Brooke let out a small cough before smiling. "Hey Hales, what's up?" she asked casually.

Haley raised an eyebrow suspiciously but answered anyway "Nothing" she answered straight to the point "What about you?" she asked nodding her head in the direction of Lucas who started to shuffle on his seat awkwardly.

"Nothing" Brooke repeated her words. "Just enjoying the band"

"Right..." Haley said suspiciously before looking over at Lucas. "You having a good night?" she asked.

Lucas nodded his head and gave her a small smile, still grateful from her helping him when he first came back to town. "Yeah...it's been good" he said nodding towards the band but also sending a sneak glance in Brooke's direction, he didn't even care about The Honorary Title anymore, the fact that Brooke was sitting with him was enough to make his week.

"I know where I know you from!" Owen came up to them and all three looked at them curiously. "It's because of you" he said pointing to Brooke.

"Me?" Brooke asked confused as hell. "I don't get it"

"I think we have met before, Davis" He told her and looked back at Lucas, "He's your ex, right?" he asked.

"What's it to you?" Lucas asked coldly as he stood up "It's none of your business man"

"No maybe not, but I knew I recognised you from somewhere" Owen said looking between both Brooke and Lucas. "I used to work in The Blue Post"

"Yeah...so" Lucas muttered getting annoyed at this guys interference.

"Bartenders never forget faces" Owen pointed out and Brooke frowned confused.

"I don't get it, Owen, what are you talking about?" She asked impatiently.

"Think back...to maybe 5 years or so" He said and soon everything became more clear as Brooke widened her eyes in surprise.

_"You're looking rather lonely sitting all the way back here all by yourself" the bartender commented as he collected glasses from the table next to where Brooke was sitting at._

_Brooke shrugged "My boyfriend should be back in a minute"_

_"Boyfriend…right…that's what they all say" The guy said with a small shrug and a smirk._

_Brooke raised an eyebrow "What? Are you calling me a liar?"_

_"The name is Owen" The bartender grinned as he outreached his hand for Brooke to shake._

_Brooke looked down at the hand then back up at Owen before frowning "I didn't ask for your name…I was asking you if you were calling me a liar"_

_"Yeah well you were looking rather lonely…I thought I would come and keep you company" Owen said with a confident smug look on his face._

_"And like I said…I am waiting for my boyfriend" Brooke said coldly. This guy was annoying her._

_"Well it seems to me like you have been stood up"_

_"Hm…it would seem like that huh?" Brooke said in a fake polite voice "But he was just here 15 minutes ago. He was only went back to his car to get something"_

_"Sounds to me like an excuse to leave" Owen smirked as he wiped their table "So…what's your name?"_

_"Like I am going to tell you" Brooke spat "You're boring me now so will you just leave me alone?"_

_"I'm only working baby" Owen smirked as he continued to wipe down the table "This is my job" he said with a wink as he wiped the rest of the table down._

_"My boyfriend really wouldn't appreciate you calling me baby" Brooke said coldly "So do not call me that again"_

_"Whatever you say baby" Owen smirked._

_"Don't fucking talk to her"_

_Owen turned around to see an angry looking Lucas glaring at him._

_Brooke gasped at the sight of her boyfriend. His lip and nose was bleeding and his eye looked like it would be black and blue in the morning. "Luke…what the hell happened?" she asked worriedly as she stood up and examined her boyfriend._

_Lucas however ignored her as he kept his eyes fixated on Owen "What the hell do you think you were just doing?" he asked sternly._

_Owen held his hands up in defense "Nothing man…we were just talking"_

_"Yeah well don't talk to her. Don't even look at her? Ok?" Lucas said threateningly. "I mean it"_

_Owen nodded slightly "Yeah man…sorry" he mumbled "But it looks like you need to be cleaned up man…let me go and get you something"_

_"I'm fine" Lucas snapped, his eyes dark and cold._

_"Baby…you're not fine…what the hell happened?" Brooke asked as she rubbed his cheek softly._

_Lucas finally tore his eyes away from Owen and looked down at Brooke. "I will tell you later" he mumbled "Was this ass harassing you?" he asked turning back to Owen._

_"No…its fine" Brooke said reassuringly "But he's right…you should really get cleaned up"_

_"I told you I'm fine" Lucas said frustratingly as he walked towards Owen and stood right in his face "If you go near my girl again I swear to god I will not be responsible for my actions" Lucas said in a cold and threatening tone that even gave Brooke the shivers._

_Owen nodded with a gulp. He could tell that this guy was not a man to be messed with. The guy obviously would do anything for his girlfriend and he knew that his safest choice would be to just walk away. "Sure man…you got it" Owen replied as he took a step back._

_"Good" Lucas hissed sternly before turning back to Brooke "Let's get out of here" he ordered as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar._

"No way! This is way to weird!" Brooke gasped stunned. "But...you were an ass!" she accused, still in shock.

"I was horny" Owen shrugged and Haley stood confused at what was going on.

"What?" Lucas asked coldly as he stood up. "Fucking hell, it is you" he said remembering it now. "You know him?" he asked turning back to Brooke.

"Yeah" Brooke nodded warily "He's friends with Chase"

"Her boyfriend" Owen cut in looking directly at Lucas, as if he was reminding the guy that Brooke was not a single woman.

"Yeah I know who he is" Lucas spat coldly.

"Okay...have I missed something? Because I am so confused right now" Haley joined and Brooke just shook her head at her telling her that she didn't want to know.

"I have to say though, you look a lot healthier than the last time we met" Owen pointed out with a smirk.

"Shut the fuck up man!" Lucas hissed at him angrily, thinking back to the night that started it all, that was the night that Kevin and his buffoon's beat him up which caused him to buy that gun which ended up with him getting stabbed and not long after leaving Tree Hill and Brooke pregnant.

"What? You going to pull that tough guy act on me again? I assumed you were a psycho back then and a guy not to be messed with, but look at you, you're a loser"

"Owen" Brooke warned seriously.

"No, Brooke, you used to date this moron when we met all those years ago, even though I didn't even know you I thought it was pretty stupid, but you know what, after getting to know you now, I don't know what you were ever doing with this ass, but I see you have took a step up now since you're with Chase"

"Seriously Owen, back off" Brooke warned and looked over at Lucas who was struggling to control his anger.

This whole thing was just so weird, he didn't even know this guy yet here he was, insulting him, it took a lot for him not to just hit the guy right there and then but he knew that he had a point to prove to Brooke, no matter how much he wishes his fist were connecting with his face right now.

Owen held up his hands in defensive "He was the one starting to get aggressive, I only wanted to know where I knew him from"

"Yeah okay and you know now, so can you just go?" Brooke asked in annoyance and Owen nodded his head before walking off. "I'm sorry, Lucas, Owen is a really great guy, really, it's just he is close friends with Chase and he is just trying to look out for him" she explained hesitantly.

"Yeah whatever" Lucas grunted and stood up "I'm going to head home..." he trailed as he took a few steps back.

"No...Lucas, come on, he didn't mean what he said, and the band haven't even finished their set yet, just stay and listen to the rest" Brooke told him, feeling bad for what just happened.

"Brooke, seriously, it's fine" he mumbled "Just...enjoy the rest of your night" he told her with a small smile before walking away and through the crowds.

Brooke sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"Okay...would you care to explain?" Haley asked curiously as she raised her eyebrow. "Because from an outsiders point of view, I am confused as hell"

"Trust me" Brooke sighed and gave her a small smile "You really don't want to know"

* * *

Keith sat on the couch with a beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, a football game playing loudly from the wide TV screen and as Lucas walked through the door he noticed how much this place definitely looked like a bachelor pad, he couldn't see a single sign of a woman ever living here.

Keith turned his head to the side when he noticed his nephew walk in the house. "You're home early" He commented "Were the band not good?"

"It wasn't the band" Lucas muttered as he sat down next to his uncle and reached over for his own slice of pizza. "Why do people always judge me before they even know me?" he asked seriously.

Keith shrugged "I don't know, but that's just the way things work I guess, especially in Tree Hill" he told him "You shouldn't take it offensively"

"Yeah but how can I try and prove to Brooke that I'm good enough to be a Dad to Grace if everyone around her keeps on talking shit about me" Lucas grunted in frustration. "It's not fair"

"I know" Keith nodded "But Brooke is not stupid, Luke, she's not going to listen to them, I mean, she has proved that one already hasn't she by agreeing to let you meet Grace and even planning on telling her that you're her father"

"Well that one might change tonight" Lucas mumbled disappointingly.

Keith sighed loudly "What did you do?"

"There was this guy at Tric, we met back in High School when I was dating Brooke and things didn't really go well between us, turns out now, he is friend's with Brooke's boyfriend and he slated me there and then, right in front of her and I almost lost it, I so badly wanted to hit the guy" he admitted frustratingly "And I know that Brooke could see that, so I had to leave before I did something stupid"

"But you didn't hit him?" Keith asked.

Lucas shook his head "No...I stopped myself, all I could think about was trying to prove myself"

"Well then, Brooke probably saw that too, I mean, you didn't actually hit the guy"

"No but I wanted to and Brooke could definitely see that"

"It doesn't matter, Lucas" Keith told him "You controlled it"

"Only just" he muttered.

"Don't put yourself down. You didn't hit the guy, you walked away and you did the right thing, now just relax, watch the football, eat some pizza and have a beer. Talk to Brooke tomorrow"

"Yeah..." Lucas sighed as he leaned back against the couch. "Maybe"

* * *

"What you did just now was so not cool" Brooke hissed coldly as she grabbed Owen's arm and pulled him outside of Tric while he was clearing some tables.

Owen sighed and rubbed his head before nodding "Yeah I know, sorry about that"

"What was your problem? Lucas has done nothing to you"

"I just...Chase is my best friend, Brooke" he told her.

Brooke shut her eyes for a few seconds before taking in a breath. "My relationship with Chase is nobody else's business but ours, the sooner people start to realise the better, but Chase has nothing to do with Lucas"

"Well actually Brooke, he kind of does, you're his girlfriend, and I know that he would not be happy with you sitting in a bar with your ex"

"It was innocent" Brooke explained "There's nothing going on, we aren't even friends, we were just talking!"

"Glad to hear it, I have met guys like him in the past, Brooke, hell I have even met him in the past!" he said letting out a small laugh of disbelief that he had met Brooke before. "They aren't good guys"

"Lucas is different" Brooke mumbled "That's what nobody else understands!" she told him in frustration. "He's an idiot, and I hate him for running out on me and Grace, but he was troubled when we were young, he had no family, nothing, Nathan made his life hell, his father didn't want anything to do with him, his uncle left and his own mother killed herself when he was just 15" she explained.

"Everyone has a troubled past, Brooke, that gives him no reason to leave you pregnant at 17" Owen told her seriously.

"I know that" Brooke agreed "But I am trying so hard to see it from his point of view in this, I loved him so much back then when we were together and he hurt me really bad, but I can't be too mad at him for what he did because honestly, I would not be standing here today if he had stayed, I wouldn't have my store and I probably wouldn't even be in Tree Hill" she told him. "Nathan and Chase and even Peyton all think that know that he's back that I'm going to run straight back to him, but I'm not, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve a second chance with Grace, whether we all like it or not she's his daughter and if anything, he's only the way he is because of Dan and Nathan, I just don't understand how nobody else can see that"

Owen sighed "I admit that I was an ass to him" he grunted "But I still don't agree with what he did, so his Dad ignored him and Nathan was a jerk, what reason does that give him to act the way he did"

"Trust me, Nathan acted more than a jerk towards him, Lucas got stabbed because of him. He thinks I have forgotten about that but I haven't, not like everyone else" Brooke confessed "Things would have gone a completely different way if Lucas didn't get stabbed right here in Tric that night, I know it would have"

"But you don't know that, he may not have left as soon as he did but the guy still could have run away"

"It's not all black and white, Owen, you of all people should understand that"

Owen stayed silent and looked up into the dark blue sky, he knew that Brooke knew about his dark past with drugs and alcohol, and now that he thought about it, he was being a bit hypocritical towards Lucas. "Yeah" he sighed "I know"

Brooke nodded and gave him a small smile, glad to see that someone finally understands.

"Maybe I should go and apologise to him, I know I was out of order"

Brooke shook her head "It's too late, he's left, but I will tell him"

"And what about Chase?" Owen asked as he dug his hands into his pockets.

"What about him?" Brooke asked "He's my boyfriend"

"But where does he stand in all of this, you obviously still have feelings for Lucas"

Brooke's eyes widened "No way"

"Brooke, come on, I just saw the way you talked about him!" Owen told her accusingly.

"I was talking about his past! I feel bad for him!" Brooke argued getting annoyed "I don't have feelings for him!".

"Trust me, the way you were talking went way past pity" Owen commented "Look, Brooke, it's not even any of my business, you can't help who you love, I know that, just make sure Chase doesn't get hurt in the process"

"I don't love Lucas" Brooke bit back.

"Okay" Owen nodded and Brooke knew that he didn't believe her. "But I have to get back to work" he said and turned around "See you around, Davis" he finished before walking back into the club and leaving Brooke outside alone to think about what he just told him.

* * *

"It's too early! Go back to bed" Brooke moaned as she pulled the covers over her head high over her head and sunk underneath them.

"But Mommy! You said we could go to the park today!" Grace pouted as she jumped on top of her mother who was clearly hungover. "You promised!"

"And we will go baby, just not at this very minute" Brooke grunted from her place underneath the blanket. "Can't go you back to sleep?" she asked pleadingly.

"No" Grace told her seriously as she started to jump up and down on the bed in an attempt to get her Mom up and awake.

"Gracie! Stop it!" Brooke shouted as if she was already defeated, but there was no point as the active 5 year old continued to jump around her on the bed, crushing her legs as she did so. "I'm hungover and tired and you jumping all over me is so not helping"

"It's time to wake up!" Grace giggled as she tumbled over and landed flat on top of Brooke causing the older brunette to let out a loud groan.

"What the hell did Millie feed you last night?" She moaned as she slowly sat up.

"You just said a naughty word!" Grace scolded with a smirk and Brooke rolled her eyes. "And we had Pizza! With extra cheese!"

"I'm sure" Brooke sighed as she held her arms out "Come give your Momma a hug?" she asked with a pout and Grace smiled before diving into her mothers arms. "Tricked you!" Brooke shouted as she flipped the 5 year old over and started to tickle her causing Grace's screams to echo around the room.

"No! Momma! Momma! Stop it!" Grace breathed out as her laughter grew even louder. "Mommy!"

"This should teach you not to wake me up in the mornings, huh?" Brooke asked laughing before finally letting her daughter go. "Come on, let's go out for breakfast" she smiled as she stood up.

"And can I get ice cream?" Grace asked with a grin as she started to jump up and down alone on the bed.

"No, it's breakfast" Brooke told her as she walked around the bed to her wardrobe and looked in to find an outfit to wear.

"But you have let me have ice-cream for breakfast before!" Grace reminded her as she continued to bounce up and down on the bed.

"Yeah, and trust me I paid for it, by having a very hyper Grace Anna Scott for the day!" Brooke pointed out as she pulled out her clothes from her closet.

"I love you Mommy" Grace smiled as she stopped bouncing on the bed and fell down onto her knees.

"I love you too sweetie" Brooke smiled back but also knew what the young girl was playing at. "But you're still not getting any ice cream"

"Aww!" Grace pouted as she fell flat onto her face on the bed and pouted to herself into the covers.

Brooke let out a small laugh as she watched her daughter's over-dramatic performance, but who was she kidding, the girl will end up having ice cream for breakfast.

* * *

"Mommy?" Grace asked in a curious tone as she took a bite from her waffles. Brooke had somehow managed to persuade her that if she ate a proper breakfast then she could have as much ice cream as she wanted later at the park. Grace took a few minutes to decide but eventually she accepted the deal, but only if her mother promised to let her have double the amount of sprinkles.

"Yes baby girl?" Brooke asked not looking up from her magazine as the two sat in the local cafe.

"What does hungover mean?" Grace asked curiously causing Brooke to raise her head.

"Well why do you want to know?" Brooke asked suspiciously before wriggling her eyebrows together "You don't have a drinking problem that I don't know about, do you?" she asked teasingly.

Grace glanced at her confused, not understanding what her mother means and Brooke sighed before beginning to explain. "Hungover means that you drank too much the night before and it doesn't make you feel good in the morning"

Grace listened interested before letting out an understanding gasp "Oh! Like that time I had too much milk before I went to bed and it made me sick?" she asked seriously.

Brooke let out a small laugh before nodding her head "Sure" she grinned.

"Did you have too much milk last night then Mommy?" Grace asked.

Brooke stifled a laugh before nodding "Just a little bit" she smiled just before she took notice of her vibrating cellphone that rested on the table, she looked across to see a text message from Lucas.

**_Hey, I am sorry about last night, but I was wondering if it was still okay that I spend some time with Grace again today, like you said. _**

Brooke looked across the table to her daughter who was stuffing her face with waffles before looking back down at Lucas's text message. She didn't understand what he was sorry for since she didn't think he really did anything wrong last night, he may have overreacted a little but that was just _him _and also, Owen's comments from the night before made her a little wary to be around her ex, but he was wrong, right? So why couldn't she be. Chase was away working all day and she did promise Lucas that he could see his daughter, not to mention the fact that Grace deserved to know her real Dad. Sighing, she began to drill her fingers against the keys of her phone texting Lucas back to tell him to meet them in the park in about an hour.

Was she doing the right thing? She didn't know, but she hoped so, something happened between them last night, she didn't know what it was but there was definately something more there between them then there was two days ago, maybe she was begining to trust him that little bit more, maybe it was the flashback from the past that Owen reminded her of, again, she didn't know, but it was something. And something was better than nothing, right?

"Hurry up and finish that, Gracie, we are going to go and meet Lucas in the park" Brooke told her daughter with a smile.

Grace looked up excitedly with a wide smile and nodded her head before quickly taking a bite from her waffles, excited to see the man she met a couple of weeks ago again.

* * *

Lucas stood at the gates of the park nervously, he shuffled from one foot to the other as his hands rested deep in his pockets, Brooke had told him to meet here within an hour but he couldn't help but leave straight away, which meant that he would be waiting around for 45 minutes but he didn't care, spending time with Brooke and his daughter would be so worth it.

"You're here early"

Lucas turned around and smiled to see Brooke and Grace approaching him. "Yeah, well so are you" he replied.

"We were in the neighborhood" Brooke shrugged as she let go of Grace's hand as Lucas crouched down to be level with her.

"Hey Grace, good to see you again" Lucas smiled happily.

Grace grinned and nodded her head "You too!" she told him back causing Lucas to let out a small chuckle.

"I've made sure that I watched a few episodes of Hannah Montanna, just for you"

"Really?" Grace gasped surprised and smiled widely.

"Yep" Lucas grinned before standing up and glancing over at Brooke who had a small smile on her face. "Thank you" he said towards her and Brooke nodded her head to say it was okay.

"Can you come push me on the swings?" Grace asked excitedly and Lucas nodded his head happily.

"I would love to" he grinned and his smile grew wider as Grace grabbed his hand and led him through the park and towards the swings.

Brooke stayed back and watched as Lucas lifted up their daughter and placed her on the swing and walked around behind and began to push her, she smiled as she watched Grace squeal to go higher but shouted to slow down as soon as he did so. She slowly walked into the park and stood by the side of the swings and just watched the scene in front of her. After Grace was born, she never once imagined that she would be watching what she was watching right now, but she was glad that she is, because Grace already seemed to really enjoy Lucas's company and she didn't even know that he is her father yet.

Lucas turned his head to the side to see Brooke watching them with a smile on her face, he caught her eye for a few seconds and gave her a soft thankful smile which Brooke also returned, he looked back at the little girl in front of him and hoped that things would get even better for them all, because ever since he was young, all he has ever really wanted was a family and maybe now, with Grace, he was finally going to get one.

* * *

**A/N: So, I didn't take long to update this chapter then did I? Hopefully this will continue but I don't think I can get them up this quick! So, again, I want to thank everyone single one of you who reviewed the last chapter! They mean a lot and they do inspire me to write more so please review again!**

**And to Rianna, I love your reviews and I do take note to what you say, and I know that I haven't really explored the Brooke and Chase relationship yet but I am planning on doing so, because it's not over yet between them and I'm trying really hard not to turn Chase into the bad guy in my story, but I don't like his character on the show so I hope that it doesn't come across to obviously in this story lol! **

**So thanks again guys! And don't forget to review! :)**

**Sara x**


	27. From the Outside and the Inside

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

_Flashbacks in italics._

* * *

"Thank you"

Brooke looked to up to her left as she and Lucas walked along the river walk, Grace skipping ahead of them already running towards the ice scream stand excitedly. "For what?" she asked but also knowing what he was thanking her for.

"Today" Lucas told her gratefully "It means a lot"

Brooke shrugged "She's your daughter" she answered simply "I couldn't keep her away from you forever"

"I know but I would have totally understood if you wouldn't let me see her, I screwed up a lot" Lucas admitted.

"Let's just not mention it, okay?" Brooke asked him seriously, she didn't want the bad memories to overtake the good ones.

"Okay" Lucas agreed and smiled as he saw his daughter was already standing at the ice scream stall.

"Mommy!" Grace shouted impatiently "Hurry up!"

Brooke rolled her eyes and Lucas let out a small chuckle. "She's terrible at waiting" she told Lucas honestly "The most impatient child I have ever met"

"She must take after her mother then" Lucas replied with a smirk.

Brooke let out a small laugh, knowing that she couldn't deny it "Looks like it" she smiled just as they approached the hyper 5 year old.

"I want a big cone, Momma! With extra sprinkles just like you promised!" Grace grinned widely as she started to jump up and down in excitement.

"But I didn't say anything about having the big cone, you know that costs more money" Brooke said as she eyed the price board, surprised at how expensive ice cream seemed to cost these days.

"Please!" Grace pouted "Please! Please! Please! Mommy!"

Brooke looked down at her then back at Lucas, unsure of what to say.

"You want the big cone?" Lucas asked Grace who nodded her head furiously "The big cone it is then" he smirked and Brooke rolled her eyes at him, he would be just as bad as she is when it comes to saying no to Grace, the girl had masterminded the puppy eyes and pout as a toddler, and she had a little feeling that it was her friend Rachel who taught her that one though.

"Yey!" Grace sqeuled excitedly "Thank you Lucas!" she grinned.

"No problem Gracie" Lucas smiled as he walked to the counter and paid for the ice creams. "There you go, double chocolate with extra sprinkles in the big cone" he smirked as he handed it over to her.

"Yum!" Grace grinned as she took a huge lick from it.

"Make sure you don't spill it all over, Grace, please" Brooke warned but knowing that it was no use. It would be half way down her top in five minutes.

Lucas chuckled before turning back to the stand and turned around with two more, one strawberry with sprinkles and just a plain vanilla one for him. "Here" he smiled as he handed Brooke hers.

Brooke smiled "You remembered?" she asked as she looked at her favorite ice cream in her hands before taking a lick from it.

"I remember everything" Lucas smiled softly before the three walked towards a bench that was placed looking out on the river and sat down, Grace sitting between the two adults. They sat in silence, looking out at the river and the only sounds made were from Grace slurping and admiring her desert.

"Aw Gracie, look at you" Brooke laughed as she noticed the huge amounts of chocolate ice cream that ended up around her daughter's mouth rather than inside. "It's everywhere!"

Grace shrugged as she continued to eat her ice cream and Brooke sighed, knowing she would have to wait until she had finished before she could clean her daughter up, there was definitely a high risk that there would be double the amount on her face by the time the child will finish.

* * *

"Thanks for helping me set up, Nate" Peyton told him gratefully as she watched Nathan put down some beer crates on top of the bar in Tric. "Owen called a few hours ago saying he will be running late and I know that I wouldn't be able set up by myself"

"It's not a problem" Nathan replied "I've been kind of bored this summer anyway, you're giving me something to do"

Peyton smiled "I thought one of the main reasons you took that coaching job for the Raven's was because of the time off you would end up getting" she smirked knowing that the real reason he took it was because it held a large part of his heart, but of course, he _is_ Nathan Scott and he would never admit that.

Nathan rolled his eyes "Whatever, but I think you owe me a free beer for helping you with this"

"Help yourself" Peyton told him as Nathan nodded and walked around the other side of the bar and picked up a beer, he opened it and took a sip as Peyton went and sat down opposite him. "So...you up to anything else today?" she asked making conversation.

Nathan shrugged "Nah, not really"

"Why don't you call Brooke, hang out with her and Grace" Peyton suggested knowing that her friends friendship hasn't been the same since a certain blonde haired blue eyed Scott came back to town.

"I would..." Nathan trailed "But she is at the park today" he told her "With Lucas" he said the last part bitterly and shook his head before taking another swig from his beer.

"Ah" Peyton sighed "But hey, at least she told you this time!"

Nathan rolled his eyes "I'm just going to let her get on with it, Grace is her daughter and unfortunately shares Lucas' DNA too so there isn't really much I can do about it, is there?"

"Sensible" Peyton commented "I think she does know what she is doing though" she mused "And it's not as if she has really forgiven Lucas for what he did"

"But that's the thing, Peyton, she may _say_ that she hasn't forgiven him but her actions speak otherwise. He has some weird hold over her" he grumbled.

Peyton stayed silent for a few seconds knowing that this was a tough subject to have an opinion on. "So..." she trailed deciding now would be the best time to change the subject "How are things with you and Haley?" she asked with a sneaky smile.

"Oh no!" Nathan cut in already defensive "I know that look! Don't give me that look, Peyton!"

"What look?" Peyton asked innocently but Nathan threw her a look as if to say 'don't even try to act dumb'. "Fine" the blonde sighed "It's just...you guys make such a great couple!"

"We broke up, we obviously weren't that great!" Nathan argued.

"Do you still love her?"

"Do I still lov-" he muttered in annoyance while shaking his head. "You can't ask me that"

"Yes I can. You either love her or you don't"

"She's my friend"

"Right..."

"She is!"

"Yeah I know" Peyton replied innocently "Whatever you say"

"Peyton!" Nathan groaned and slammed his bottle against the bar frustratingly "Don't go causing shit between me and Haley, okay? We aren't together, there are no hidden meanings in what I say about her! And we aren't getting back together!"

Peyton pouted "Why not?"

"It's done! It's in the past!" Nathan argued "And why am I even having this argument with you?"

Peyton shrugged "Because you can" she smiled "And you love arguing with me"

"I'm starting to think it's the other way around, you seem to be the one who likes to pick arguments with me, first the Brooke thing, then Haley"

"Brooke's was not intentional!" Peyton defended "And the Haley one...well...it's obvious that she's only in Tree Hill for you"

"For me?" Nathan asked stunned and shook his head "No, Peyton, okay? She's not, she is back because this is her home and she will be starting work as a teacher at Tree Hill High in the fall"

"Ah yes, Tree Hill High, who recommended her for that one then?"

Nathan rolled his eyes "I was doing her a favor"

"At the same place you work in"

"Okay, I've had enough, I am not having this conversation with you" Nathan told her getting seriously frustrated.

"Relax Nate, I am just playing with you" Peyton laughed as she shook her head "You're to easy"

Nathan didn't say anything as he took another sip from his drink and glared at her. He always fell for it.

* * *

"Today has been fun" Brooke commented as they walked towards the car-park where Lucas had his car parked in.

"Yeah it really has been" Lucas replied smiling widely as he looked ahead towards his daughter who was skipping ahead of them.

"Grace seemed to enjoy herself" Brooke also pointed out "I'm glad"

"Me too" Lucas grinned just as Grace turned around.

"Which car is yours, Lucas?" she called over curiously.

"This one" Lucas called back as he pointed to his car which was in the opposite direction to where Grace was running off too.

"Urgh!" Grace groaned causing both Lucas and Brooke to laugh out loud as she pouted before running over to his car just as the adults reached it.

"Thanks for giving us a ride" Brooke said sincerely as Lucas unlocked the doors.

"It's not a problem" Lucas told her honestly with a smile as he watched Brooke put Grace's seat-belt on before getting in the front next to him.

"You know where I live, right?" Brooke asked as Lucas pulled out of the car-park.

"Yeah" Lucas said as he drove along the road for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and bravely spoke out. "Why don't you both come back to my place? We can watch a movie or something..." he trailed nervously.

"Oh I don't know...."

"A movie!" Grace gasped happily "Yeah! Please Mommy! Can we?"

"I don't know, Gracie..." Brooke trailed hesitantly.

"Oh it's fine" Lucas quickly backtracked, embarrassed for even suggesting it, he should have known she would decline "It's okay, really" he said "You can come over another time, Grace" he spoke to his daughter through the mirror and saw her pout and cross her arms.

"Aww" she moaned.

Brooke sighed and looked over at Lucas' disappointed face and then back to her daughters. It was funny, they actually looked alike. "Okay" she sighed.

Lucas turned to face her and raised an eyebrow "Okay..." he continued as he turned his attention back to the road.

"Okay we can go and watch a movie"

"Yey!" Grace squealed happily from the back causing Lucas to smile widely.

"Great" he grinned as he glanced back at his daughter then back at Brooke and gave her a grateful nod.

* * *

"Okay so we have popcorn, chocolate and pop! Take your pick" Lucas smiled as he walked into the living room in Keith's house. He handed Brooke her requested glass of lemonade before placing down the goods on the coffee table before them.

"Yum!" Grace smirked excitedly as she reached over and grabbed a chocolate bar.

Brooke rolled her eyes "You do realise that you are going to get her all hyper...then have her throwing up on my lap by the end of the night" she told Lucas before taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh" Lucas' eyes widened "I didn't think about that, sorry" he told her regretfully.

Brooke let out a small laugh "It's okay, I was just kidding...well, sort of" she smiled "Gracie, don't eat too much okay" she warned.

"Okay" Grace nodded with her mouth full.

Lucas chuckled before reaching over for the remote and turning on the DVD that Grace had picked out earlier. "All these were left over from when Keith's kids were over" he told Brooke, explaining why two grown men had so much sugar in their cupboards as well as a large amounts of Disney films.

"Yeah" Brooke smirked "You don't need to make up a story to me, Lucas, I know you have a sweet tooth and a hidden love for Disney characters" she winked.

"Yeah" Lucas laughed with a wide smile "Maybe"

"Be quiet!" Grace scolded with a hiss "The movie is starting!" she scolded causing both adults to stiffle a giggle.

* * *

"Nathan" Haley smiled in surprise "Hi"

"Hey" Nathan nodded as he sent her a small smile as he stood on the doorstep of Haley's new apartment.

Haley smiled back and raised an eyebrow "I don't mean to sound rude but uh...what are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"Oh" Nathan blinked fast "Sorry" he said embarrassed "I was just passing and I thought...maybe I would stop by, you know? Have a drink or something..." he trailed nervously.

Haley immediatly cringed "Actually..." she started as she looked behind her before looking back to Nathan "I kind of have company..." she trailed.

"Oh" Nathan repeated his earlier words "_Oh_!" he blinked hard at the realisation of what kind of 'guest' Haley may have. "I'm sorry" he mumbled disappointingly "I best go then..."

"Sorry" Haley apologised sincerely "Maybe another time, yeah?" she asked trying to brighten things up.

"Yeah" Nathan replied with a small smile "Yeah" he repeated "I will see you around" he finished before taking a small step back and walking away.

Haley frowned slightly before letting out a sigh and watched Nathan for a few more seconds before stepping back inside and closing the door.

* * *

"She's on a date!" Peyton eye's widened in surprise as she stood behind the bar in Tric "With who?" she asked shocked.

Nathan shrugged as he slummed into his beer "I don't know" he grumbled in annoyance as he looked around the half empty club.

"Hmm" Peyton mumbled suspiciously "She never mentioned anything..." she trailed with a frown "Maybe he was just a friend?"

Nathan scoffed "Or maybe it's her new boyfriend?"

"What do you care anyway? It was just a couple of hours ago that you claimed that you are over her" Peyton smirked.

"I am!" Nathan defended "It's just..." he trailed not sure of what words he wanted to use "Complicated" he muttered.

"Right" Peyton let out a small laugh "Okay"

"What are you even doing here anyway?" Nathan asked "I didn't think you were working tonight"

Peyton shrugged "The shifts got changed" she told him "Why? Who were you expecting to talk to tonight and drown your sorrows to? Owen?" she asked with a laugh.

"Yes" Nathan mumbled "I thought we could have a man to man chat" he said.

Peyton let out a laugh "Face it, Nate, you know that Owen would only tell you what you want to hear and not actually give an opinion" she told him.

"Well maybe I didn't want an opinion" he told her with a frown "Which is code for you to butt out"

"Okay" Peyton smiled "But just to remind you, you were the one who brought this conversation up, not me!"

"And I should have learnt from this afternoon that it wasn't a good idea" he told her with a smirk "You suck at giving out advice"

"Well then why do you keep coming back?" She asked with a laugh "You Nathan Scott, are very predictable."

* * *

"She's so cute!" Lucas grinned widely as he watched his daughter lying flat on his couch, with her head rested on Brooke's lap. Grace had fell asleep at the start of the second movie which she insisted that they should watch as she claimed she was not even close to being tired. Obviously she proved herself wrong.

"I know" Brooke smiled softly as she ran her fingers through Grace's soft brown hair. "I better take her home" she told him as she attempted to sit up straight without waking the sleeping 5 year old.

Lucas nodded his head in understanding "Here, I will help" he said quickly as he rushed over to the two of them and gently scooped his daughter into his arms.

"Thanks" Brooke smiled as she stood up and stretched her arms out in the air with a yawn "It's getting pretty late" she mused looking down at her watch. "Chase might be home..." she trailed.

"Does he know that you are here?" Lucas asked curiously as he held onto Grace gentle but firmly as he walked Brooke to the door.

Brooke shrugged "He knew I came to the park with you" she told him "Pass me her" she said motioning her arms out.

"No don't be stupid" Lucas smiled as he reached over and opened the front door "I will walk you home, come on" he told her.

"Oh no you don't have to..." Brooke declined politely as she stepped out of the house. "We will be fine"

"Brooke" Lucas smiled "It's dark and I'm sure she's not as light as she used to be" he told her "I would give you a ride in the car but Keith has gone out with the keys"

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly "I don't want to put you out?"

"You're not" Lucas told her honestly "Come on" he smiled as he shut the door behind him and the two begun to walk through the dark streets of Tree Hill.

From the outside, they looked like a family. From the inside, it was much more complicated.

* * *

_"I love it when it's so calm and peaceful like this" Brooke mused as she and Lucas walked through the dark empty streets on their way back to Lucas' apartment. They had been to the movies, and since it was a warm evening they decided to walk. Lucas had his arm wrapped firmly around Brooke's shoulders and Brooke's around his waist. From the outside they looked like the perfect couple, no problems, no worries. From the inside, it was much more complicated._

_"Me too" Lucas agreed as he slowly leaned down and kissed her hair softly "It kind of makes me forget about stuff...you know?" _

_"I know" Brooke nodded as she thought about what had been happening recently. It had only been a couple of weeks since Nathan and everyone else had found out about them, and to be honest, she was starting to miss her best friend._

_"Don't think about him, Brooke" Lucas told her in a firm tone "At least not tonight"_

_"I'm not" Brooke argued but she knew there was no use. _

_"Brooke" Lucas sighed loudly as he stopped causing Brooke to turn around to face him. "Seriously, I know you. Stop it"_

_"Okay" Brooke confessed "Maybe I was a little"_

_"Don't" _

_"I wont" She said with a small smile as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck to change the subject "I love you Lucas Scott" she told him with a smile._

_Lucas grinned widely as he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips "I love you too Brooke Davis"_

* * *

Brooke laughed at something Lucas told her as she unlocked the front door to her house and let themselves in. She immediately came to a halt however when she saw both Chase and Owen sitting on the couch, football on the TV but their attention were now glued to the exes and their daughter who had just entered the house.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Chase barked angrily as he slowly jumped up and walked towards them.

"Quiet Chase, Grace is sleeping" Brooke scolded with a hiss and motioned to her daughter who was still sleeping in Lucas' arms.

"Yeah I can see that" Chase bit back coldly "What's he doing here, Brooke?"

"I will take Grace to her room" Owen mumbled awkwardly as he approached Lucas, who reluctantly handed his daughter over to the barman, not really wanting to after enjoying having his child in his arms.

"Thanks Owen" Brooke grumbled back as she waited for him to walk up the stairs before turning back to Chase "He walked us home. It was dark" she told her boyfriend not in the mood for yet another argument.

"Maybe I should go..." Lucas trailed not wanting to cause anymore trouble.

"Yeah I think you should" Chase spat at him coldly "Only this time, try and make sure that you won't come back?"

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere" Lucas replied not liking the way this guy was looking at him, or Brooke for that matter.

"I think you should go, Lucas" Brooke told him softly.

"Yeah Lucas" Chase smirked "Go. Leave my girlfriend and my daughter alone"

"She's not your daughter" Lucas told him in annoyance.

"I pretty much helped raise her" Chase told him with a glare "I pay for the food on her table" he said angrily just as Owen came back down.

"And I wish that was me" Lucas admitted as he turned his head around to Brooke "I wish with all my life that I hadn't of been a coward and left you that day. I wish that I was the one to have raised Grace with you by my side" he told her with a sad smile "I'm sorry, Brooke. I really am"

"I know" Brooke whispered as she glanced back to her boyfriend who did not look happy "You should go, Luke. I will call you later"

"Like hell you will!" Chase interrupted angrily.

"Don't tell her what to do!" Lucas hissed back at him in anger "What's your problem man? All I want to do is make things better"

"My problem is that you don't deserve them!" Chase shouted at him coldly as he took a couple of steps towards him. "You don't"

"I know that" Lucas told him as his eyes never left his "But I'm going to change it"

"Yeah right" Chase scoffed "Let's face it, Lucas. You are a loser, always have been and always will be! That little girl doesn't love _you_" he smirked "She loves _me_!"

"Chase!" Brooke warned as she tried to step in between the two "Stop it"

"No" Chase barked at her angrily before turning back to Lucas "You stay the hell away, you hear me? From Grace, from Brooke, from everyone!"

"No" Lucas spat at him angrily "Never again. I am going to get my family back, whether you like it or not!"

Chase's face twitched with anger. Wishing this guy had never came back, he didn't know why he did it, but he raised his fist in the air before sending it in the direction of Lucas' face.

"Lucas!" Brooke gasped in shock as she watched her ex-boyfriend trip over something on the floor behind him and go flying backwards, not expecting the punch as he fell back and hit his head against the coffee table. "Lucas!" she screamed as she noticed that he was unconscious, blood trickling from the back of his head. This brought back memories. Bad ones.

__

Lucas closed his eyes tiredly and Brooke immediately slapped her hand on his cheek gently. "Luke, baby…keep your eyes open" however his eyes remained shut "Lucas!" Brooke cried "Wake up!" she screamed. Crying harder and louder now.

Chase stood back in shock at himself. He didn't know why he did that, and he certainly didn't expect that to happen.

"Lucas!" Brooke spoke loudly as she lightly touched her ex-boyfriend's cheek "Wake up" she spoke to him as she tried to stop the tears appearing in her eyes "Owen call an ambulance!" she shouted and Owen nodded his head, but stood frozen, still in shock from what happened. "Now Owen!" Brooke broke him out of his trance and he nodded his head before quickly pulling out his cellphone and dialling 911.

"Come on, Luke. Wake up" she whispered to him softly as she attempted to bring her ex-boyfriend back to consciousness, but at the moment there was no such luck.

* * *

**A/N: This update was long overdue! And I apologise for that, like has been busy and such and I haven't had much inspiration either. I hope you enjoyed the chapter though. So please review and tell me what you think! I really enjoy reading them.**

**And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It really means a lot.**

**Sara x**


	28. Looking Up

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

"I've been here before" Brooke mumbled quietly as she sat in the empty hospital waiting room. Haley sitting by her side. She didn't know who else to call, Nathan was a definite no and so was Rachel, Peyton was working and Millicent was out with Mouth. But she couldn't stay here waiting alone, so she called Haley. Chase had left about 10 minutes ago, Brooke ordering him to leave saying that it was his fault and that he shouldn't be here. Owen was staying at her house watching Grace and she hoped that all the commotion hadn't woken up her daughter.

"I know" Haley nodded as she reasuringly placed her hand on Brooke's back "I remember"

"They have changed the colour of the walls" Brooke pointed out as she motioned to the sky blue colour opposite them. It was a lot better than the dull sickening white that were here the last time she sat in this room waiting to hear on Lucas Scott.

"Yeah" Haley said with a small smile "Maybe somebody finally complained about them"

"Do you think he will be okay?" Brooke asked sadly as she turned her head to face one of her best friends.

"Yes" Haley told her honestly and reassuringly "He's strong, and from what you say it was just a cut on his head, right?"

"But he was unconcious, Haley" Brooke muttered "I couldn't wake him up, he was just..." she trailed distantly as she shook her head sadly.

"He will be fine, Brooke" Haley told her confidently "Why would he want to give up all the progress he has made now, huh? Trust me, he will be fine"

"You really think so?" Brooke asked hopefully.

"Yeah" Haley smiled "I do"

"Good" Brooke confessed "Because I don't know what I would do is something bad happened to him" she admitted quietly and it actually surprised Haley. She could see that her friend was putting on a brave face, she could also see that she was terrified and it made her question whether or not the brunette still had some sort of feelings for her daughter's father.

* * *

"Oh no come on!" Nathan laughed loudly as he sat down next to Peyton in a booth in Tric. Peyton had finished her shift and instead of going home she opted to stay and hang out with Nathan instead, both of them may have had a little too much to drink.

"It's true!" Peyton giggled "I was so embarrased!" she admitted "I mean, it was his boyfriend!" she told him in disbelief as she explained to him a story of what happened to her in college. She had met this guy, he was sweet and funny and she really liked him and she was so happy but nervous when he asked her out one night, she thought it was a date but obviously the other guy didn't feel the same way, especially as his boyfriend turned up and joined them!

"Only you would hit on a gay guy" Nathan chuckled "I can't believe you thought it was date" he laughed. "I wish I would have seen your face!"

"Oh trust me, it was not a good night. I felt so humiliated!"

"I bet" Nathan laughed as he shook his head. His 'meeting' with Haley completely forgotten.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking, Chase?" Owen muttered tiredly as Chase walked into the house later that night after Brooke had sent him away from the hospital.

"That was not supposed to happen" Chase confessed in annoyance "The guy just made me mad, the way he talked and looked at Brooke, I just lashed out" he admitted. "I didn't think he would fall and hit his head"

"It was an ass move man" Owen told him honestly "You better hope to God for yourself that he will be okay"

"I know" Chase grunted "But it's not as if he didn't deserve it, right? I mean...this is jackass who left Brooke when she was pregnant!"

"I know that" Owen replied "But he is also Grace's Dad" he pointed out "You are just going to have to deal with it man, I know it sucks but that's just the way things go sometimes"

"Yeah" Chase scoffed "I know that"

* * *

"Keith" Brooke immediately stood up as she saw the older Scott enter the waiting room.

"Brooke" Keith approached her "What happened? Is Luke okay?" he asked confused as to what was going on. He had just gotten a call from the younger brunette telling him not to freak out but Lucas is in hospital. How could he not freak out over something like that?

"He..." Brooke trailed nervously "He got into an argument with Chase, and it didn't turn out good" she told him with a cringe "Chase hit him and Lucas tripped over something and fell back and hit his head off the coffee table" she said hating speaking the words out loud "He was unconscious and bleeding and..." she couldn't carry on as tears threatened to burn in her eyes "I'm sorry, Keith. This was my fault"

"No" Keith immediatly shook his head and placed his hand on Brooke's arm reasuringly "It's not your fault, okay?" he told her sternly and Brooke sent him back a small nod "Lucas will be alright, he's a tough guy, you know that"

"Yeah" Brooke nodded as she let out a shaky breath and straightened herself up "He will be fine" she said to herself confidently as the two slowly went to sit down on the hard plastic chairs next to Haley.

* * *

"Oh come on! You were the worst boyfriend ever!" Peyton accused with a laugh "You treated me like crap!"

"Hey!" Nathan defended "I wasn't that bad and you weren't exactly a great girlfriend were you?" he retaliated while slurring on his words. "Admit it, Peyton."

"Fine" Peyton smiled meekly "Maybe I was a bit of a bitch to you...but what did you expect? You were interested in freaking basketball more than you were with me!" she said in disbelief "In fact, on your list of importance I think I was fifth!"

"Fifth!" Nathan gasped in surprise "How the hell were you fifth?" he asked with a laugh "I wasn't that bad!"

"Oh come on!" Peyton argued "Basketball came first, then Brooke, then sex, then parties and then me!"

"That's not true!" Nathan defended with a smile "You came before parties" he smirked.

"Oh gee, thanks!"

"But hey, you are more important to me now than basketball, you know that right?" he told her seriously "I was an idiot through the most part of High School and if I could take it all back, I probably would" he admitted with a small smile "I was an ass to you and everyone else"

"Yeah" Peyton nodded with a smirk "You were"

"But I've changed now, right?"

"Right" Peyton smiled as she held out her glass "To Nathan Scott changing!" she smirked.

"To Nathan Scott changing" Nathan laughed along as he slammed his beer bottle against her glass "Cheers!" he grinned.

* * *

"Lucas Scott?" The doctor walked into the waiting room and Keith and Brooke immediately stood up and approached him, Haley trailing slowly behind.

"Yeah I'm his Uncle" Keith told him in a firm tone "Is he okay?" he asked concerned as Brooke stood nervously by his side.

"Well, he has concussion and he needed stitches as it was a nasty fall but he will be okay" The doctor told them causing them both to let out a loud sigh of relief. "There are no major injuries and from what I can tell, he will recover just fine with the right amount of rest and medication"

"Thank God" Brooke muttered to herself quietly as she ran her hand through her hair. Relieved that Lucas would be okay.

"Can we go and see him?" Keith asked.

"Yes, one at a time, he is in room 12" The doctor told him "He will probably be extremely tired and the chances are he wont remember much of what happened, at least not right away, but he will be okay"

"Thank you" Keith told him appreciatively as he watched him leave the room before turning to Brooke "Do you want to go in?" he asked.

"What me?" Brooke asked surprised and immediately shook her head "No...No, you go" she told him.

"Are you sure?" Keith asked "I know he will want to see you"

"No really" Brooke replied and nodded her head towards the door "You go"

"Okay" Keith nodded his head before giving her a small smile and leaving the room.

"I'm so glad he's okay" Brooke mumbled tiredly as she turned to face Haley. "Thank you for being here, Hales"

Haley smiled as she brought her friend in for a hug "It's okay, Brooke" she smiled as she pulled away "I told you he would be alright"

"I know" Brooke said with a small smile "Thank you"

"So..." Haley trailed and raised and eyebrow "What are you going to do now?" she asked expectantly and Brooke sighed and shook her head. Not even knowing the answer to that question herself.

* * *

"Hey Luke" Keith smiled as he watched his nephew slowly open his eyes "You okay, son?" he asked concerned.

Lucas frowned confused as he blinked hard and looked around "Keith?"

"Hey" Keith smiled again and watched as Lucas went to sit up but immediately felt dizzy and rested his head back down "Take it easy kid" he warned him "You have a nasty cut in the back of that head of yours"

"What happened?" Lucas asked confused. His head was killing him and his eyes were hurting and he hadn't a clue of how he got here.

"The doctor said it would take you a few moments to remember" Keith told him "But you got into an argument with Chase and he hit you, you fell back and cracked your head" he said to him softly "But don't worry, you will be okay"

Lucas closed his eyes for a couple of seconds before speaking "Is Brooke here?" he asked quietly.

Keith nodded his head "Yeah, she's just outside" he told him "Do you want me to go and get her for you?" he asked.

"Yeah" Lucas breathed out "That's if she even wants to see me..." he trailed.

"Don't worry" Keith smiled "She has never left that waiting room for two hours, I think she wants to see you" he smirked.

Lucas let out a small smile and watched his uncle leave the room as he again shut his eyes tight to try and stop the pain shooting around his head right now.

* * *

"That was Brooke" Owen told his friend as he closed his cellphone shut and walked back into the living where Chase was sitting. "She said that Lucas is okay"

Chase nodded his head as he turned his attention back to the TV screen. Taking note on the fact that his girlfriend opted to call his best friend over him.

"She's just mad right now, Chase" Owen told him reassuringly "You know what Brooke's like, she will be pissed at you for a couple of days and then it will all be forgotten" he told him.

"Nah" Chase shook his head as he scratched the side of his head with a frown "I have a feeling things will be different this time" he admitted "Brooke has been..." he trailed trying to find the right words "Distant lately" he continued "And the funny thing is, it started before Lucas even came back. He just made things a hell of a lot worse"

"What? You think you guys wont get past this?" Owen asked surprised.

Chase shrugged "I think this relationship has been doomed from the start" he told him "I mean look at things, she was a teenage single Mom, her best friend can't stand me, I am 27 and she is only 22, that's a pretty big age gap. And now that Lucas is back..."

"Come on, Chase" Owen told him reassuringly "You and Brooke make a great couple. So what about the age gap? It didn't make a difference before. And Nathan doesn't like a lot of people to start with so that's not exactly a good excuse, and as for Lucas being back, well..." Owen continued "You are just going to have to deal with it"

"Yeah" Chase mumbled as he turned his attention back to the TV "I guess so"

* * *

Brooke stood outside Lucas' hospital room nervously. If she went in there, what was she supposed to say? _'Oh, hey Lucas! Sorry that my boyfriend put you in the hospital! But hey, how are you?'_ She didn't think that one would work.

She so badly just wanted to turn around and run away. Badly! But her feet weren't budging. Forwards or backwards actually. So she was stuck there, standing outside the door like a moron.

"This is ridiculous" Brooke muttered to herself after she realised that she must have been standing there for at least 5 minutes. "Go in" she spoke out loud. She rolled her eyes at herself before reaching forward and turning the handle around. She took a deep breath as she stepped inside. "Hey-" she immediately started but froze on the spot and shut her mouth when she realised that he was sleeping.

Now she felt like even more of like an idiot.

She looked around the room awkwardly before slowly walking towards her ex-boyfriend. "You're asleep" she spoke as if it was the most obvious thing, which it was. "Sleeping..." Well duh! She shook her head before looking down at him and speaking softly "I'm glad you are okay" she spoke quietly. "I really am"

No reply. Of course there wasn't a reply, he was sleeping! He had concussion!

"Okay" she whispered as she looked around the room "Bye" she finished before turning around and slowly walking to the door. Just as she was about to leave however the sound of his croaky voice immediately caused her to come to yet another halt.

"Brooke"

Brooke slowly turned around and offered him a fake smile "Oh, hi Lucas" she greeted him, as if she had bumped into a friend in the supermarket and stopped to say hello.

Brooke Davis you are a fool!

* * *

"I think I did love you though, Peyton" Nathan told her with a smile "Somewhere deep inside of me, I must have loved you"

"Thanks" Peyton laughed, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"No!" Nathan slurred "It's true" he told her "I loved you"

"Yeah?" Peyton asked with a smile "Well God only knows why Nathan Scott, but I think I loved you too"

"Really?" Nathan asked surprised "Even though I acted like a huge asshole to you?"

"Yep"

"I'm sorry, Peyton" he apologised sincerely "I was a jerk in High School"

"I know" Peyton smirked.

"And I am sorry about the baby too" Nathan mumbled quietly and Peyton's smile instantly fell.

"Yeah" she whispered "Me too..."

"Do you wish that you had kept it?" Nathan asked as he turned his head to look at her. "Because sometimes, when I look at Grace, I wonder what it would have been like to have a kid of my own..."

"We were so young back then, Nathan" Peyton told him "Too young"

"I know that" Nathan replied "But sometimes I do wonder..." he trailed "Do you not wonder?"

"Of course I do" Peyton muttered "But we are drunk and we really shouldn't be having this conversation"

"Yeah you're right" Nathan nodded. "I am _really_ drunk" he commented before letting out a laugh. A laugh that Peyton soon joined in.

"I think we are both completely wasted" Peyton giggled and it soon died down as the two formed into a silence.

"Hey Peyt?" Nathan asked as he shuffled closer to her.

"Yeah?" Peyton asked in a whisper as she realised just how close they were sitting and how close their faces were to each other.

"Can I kiss you?" Nathan asked quietly and with a small smile "Just one last time?"

Peyton closed her eyes slightly before letting them flutter back open, as she watched Nathan's face come even closer to hers, the feeling of his breath on her face. "Yeah" Peyton whispered "You can kiss me"

Nathan didn't say anything else as he moved his body closer and crashed his lips against hers.

* * *

"Hi" Lucas replied back with a small smile and let out a small weird frown. "You were leaving?" he asked.

"Oh" Brooke mumbled as she looked back to the door then back to Lucas. "You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you..."

"I think you would be the only person who can wake me up without getting their heads snapped off, Brooke" Lucas smiled "Or at least that's how things used to be"

"Yeah" Brooke mumbled as she hesitantly walked towards the bed and sat down on the chair next to him. "How are you?" she asked softly.

"A little sore" Lucas admitted "My heard hurts, obviously"

"I'm sorry" Brooke apologised sincerely "I really am"

"Why?" Lucas questioned with a frown.

"Why?" Brooke questioned back confused.

"Yeah" Lucas nodded "It's not your fault"

"Well if I had insisted on going home myself, or if I didn't let you in then you wouldn't be in here..."

"Yeah and if I had left when you told me too, then I wouldn't be either" Lucas smiled "Or if Chase hadn't of hit me, or if I didn't trip, or if the table wasn't behind me. Brooke, the list could go on and on about who is to blame"

"Yeah but Chase really shouldn't have hit you" Brooke told him, still angry at her boyfriend. "I mean you could have died!"

Lucas chuckled "Brooke, it was a bump to the head. I'm fine."

"You were unconscious!" Brooke argued "People die of that you know!" she told him seriously and a little annoyed that he seemed to find this funny.

"I know" Lucas replied when he realised that Brooke didn't find it very amusing "I'm sorry"

Brooke sighed and nodded her head "But you really are okay, right? I mean...the pain isn't that bad, is it?" she asked concerned.

"It does hurt" Lucas admitted "And I do feel a little drowsy but it's nothing I can't handle"

Brooke nodded before changing the subject "So you're really not angry?" she asked and Lucas shook his head no "Not even at Chase?"

"I've spent the last 21 years of my life being angry, Brooke. I don't want to be like that again" Lucas told her honestly.

"So you're not even a little mad at Chase?" Brooke asked suspiciously.

Lucas let out a small grin "Okay, so maybe I'm mad at Chase...but it's nothing I can't handle" he told her with a smile.

Brooke let out a small laugh "Okay" she smiled "Good"

"Hey, Brooke?" Lucas spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah?" Brooke asked with a smile.

"Thank you" Lucas told her sincerely.

"For what, Lucas?"

"For just being here" Lucas told her "Because I know you might think that it's no big deal. But it is to me, Brooke. It really is to me"

Brooke smiled and surprised herself and Lucas by reaching over and taking his hand in hers. "There's no other place I would rather be" she told him with a smile and squeezed his hand tight.

Lucas grinned widely as he looked down to their entwined hands. Maybe things were looking up after all?

* * *

**A/N: So, I didn't take too long to update this time did I? Please review and tell me what you thought on the chapter! I really enjoyed reading the last ones! They always inspire me to write more.**

**So, thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and don't forget to review! :)**

**Sara x**


	29. Grateful

**

* * *

**

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

"Brooke" Chase immediately stood up and walked quickly into the hall when he heard the front door shut. "Hey" he offered weakly.

Brooke however just frowned at him as she took off her coat and hung it up "Not now, Chase" she muttered tiredly.

"Brooke please" Chase pleaded "I really am sorry for what happened to Lucas"

"I don't want to hear it tonight, okay? It's been a long day and I'm tired and I just want to go to bed" Brooke told him as she slipped off her shoes and went to walk up the stairs.

"Well I will come with you" Chase offered as he came up from behind.

Brooke immediately shook her head "I think you should sleep in the guest room tonight" she mumbled.

"Brooke..." Chase trailed with a sigh "Come on, don't be mad at me"

"How can I not be?" Brooke asked in disbelief but quietened down so she wouldn't wake Grace. "Chase you could have killed him!"

"I didn't think he would fall!" Chase argued "I was angry-"

"Chase" Brooke's stern voice cut him off "Please, not tonight, okay?"

"Fine" Chase muttered in annoyance. "Good night then"

"Night" Brooke mumbled before making her way up the stays. The nights events having worn her out.

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy!" Grace shouted loudly as she jumped up and down on the bottom of Brooke's bed "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" she shouted with every jump she made "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

"Grace!" Brooke grunted in annoyance "Get off the bed, _now_!" she scolded sternly.

"But Mom!" Grace moaned as she fell to her knees "I want some breakfast!"

"Gracie it's too early" Brooke muttered tiredly, still annoyed at getting woken up so early. "Go back to bed!"

"But it's boring!" Grace told her mother with a pout "Can't I stay here with you?"

"No, because if you do, you will lay here for about two minutes before waking me up again!" Brooke told her seriously. And it was true, it happened every time.

"No I won't!" Grace moaned as she crawled towards her mother "I promise I wont"

"Gracie" Brooke sighed.

"Please Mommy" Grace pleaded with a pout. "Please please please"

"Urgh fine" Brooke groaned while giving in "Get in the bed, but I mean it. One word and you're out" she told her.

"Okay Mommy!" Grace grinned widely as she jumped under the covers and snuggled into Brooke's side. "I love you" she smiled.

"I love you too baby girl" Brooke smiled as she ran her fingers through her daughters soft brown locks, hoping this would help her go back to sleep for at least another hour.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Brooke asked shocked when she woke up to see Chase rummaging through the cupboards in their bedroom. "Chase?" she questioned again when her boyfriend hadn't answered her.

"I'm doing what's best, Brooke" Chase replied without turning around the look at her as he continued to pull out his clothes.

Brooke frowned confused as she slowly sat up, careful not to wake a sleeping Grace next to her and her eyes widened slightly when she saw the suitcase on the floor. "You're leaving?" she whispered in shock as she stood up.

"Just for a little while" Chase told her and finally turned around "I think it's what's best"

Brooke sighed and shook her head "Well what about Grace? She loves you"

"She has Lucas now" Chase told her with a frown "Besides, I will be back. I just think we need some space right now"

"But leaving?" Brooke asked as she walked towards her boyfriend. "So you are just going to run away from this? After everything we have been through"

"That's exactly why I'm leaving, Brooke!" Chase hissed at her quietly "What the hell are we? We either don't talk properly, or we argue. There is no in-between with us!"

"Yeah well it's not just about us, is it?" Brooke asked in disbelief as she pointed over to her sleeping daughter. "What about Grace? She doesn't deserve this!"

"No, she doesn't deserve to live in a house with two people who don't love each other!" Chase accused causing Brooke to take a step back in shock.

"Wh-What? Don't love each other?" she asked stunned and also a little hurt. "Chase..."

"You don't love me, Brooke" Chase told her honestly "Not really"

"Yes I do!" Brooke defended while trying to keep her voice down. "I do!"

"Well when was the last time you said it, huh?" Chase asked and let out a bitter laugh when he saw Brooke's taken aback expression. "You see, you don't even know"

"We don't have to tell each other every day do we?" Brooke argued. "How can you say that?"

"Because it's true!" Chase told her seriously "Brooke, I know that you know it's true. And you also know that there's a difference between loving someone and being _in love_ with someone."

Brooke stayed silent as she shook her head, tears threatening to appear in her eyes. "I do care for you, Chase. I really really do"

"I know" Chase nodded and gave her a small smile "But things have changed between us, Brooke, and not just Lucas coming back"

"I know" Brooke admitted quietly. "But you don't have to go"

"I do" Chase told her with a small smile as he zipped his suitcase up. "Look after yourself Brooke Davis" he told her softly before leaning forward and kissing her slowly.

Brooke hesitantly pulled out of the kiss and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "You are coming back though, right?" she asked quietly into his ear.

"Yeah" Chase nodded "Of course"

"Good" Brooke smiled as she pulled out of the hug "Because we were friends once, right? There's no reason why we can't be again"

"Exactly" Chase smiled before walking over to the bed and leaning forward and pecking Grace softly on her forehead "Love you Gracie" he whispered before grabbing his case and walking out of the room. "Bye" he said one last time.

"Bye" Brooke replied with a small smile as she watched him leave the room. She ran her hand over her face sadly and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. Where to go next?

* * *

"Ouy" Peyton grunted tiredly as she felt something kick her leg from under the covers. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped loudly when she realised who she was sleeping next to. "OH my god!" she jumped in shock and sat up quickly but her head soon regretted it. "Oh my god!" she whispered to herself as she placed one of her hands on her pounding head. She slowly got out of bed and quickly put her clothes on. "Nathan!" she shouted once she was suitably dressed "Nathan!" she repeated getting annoyed "Nathan Scott! Get the hell out of my bed!"

"Wh-What!" Nathan jumped up in fright and looked around panicked and confused of his surroundings. He glanced around the room puzzled but turned to look to Peyton in shock when he realised what he did last night. "OH my god!" he grunted as his head hit back against the pillow.

"You think?" Peyton shouted at him sarcastically "Nathan get the hell out of here!" she hissed at him angrily. "I can't believe you got my drunk last night!"

"What!" Nathan argued "Peyton, I did not force those drinks down your throat!"

"You may as well have!" Peyton bit back coldly "Asshole!"

"Great" Nathan chuckled bitterly "So I take it this is all my fault?"

"Yes!"

"Oh grow up, Peyton!" Nathan sneered at her coldly as he sat up and put his shorts on. "We had sex last night, so what!"

"So what? Nathan!" Peyton gasped in shock "I can't believe you just said that!"

"We were two consenting adults! Peyton for gods sake we are 22 years old and we have had a one night stand, this happens!" Nathan argued seriously as he placed his t-shirt over his head.

"Yeah maybe for you!" Peyton hit back "But I actually have standards!"

"Well apparently not" Nathan smirked.

"Oh, well what about Haley?" Peyton challenged and smiled when she saw Nathan's eyes immediately widen. "Yeah, I thought so"

"Look" Nathan sighed as he ran his hand through his hair frustratingly "I think we can both agree that last night was a mistake, right?"

"Absolutely" Peyton answered without hesitation.

"Okay" Nathan nodded "So there's no need to tell anyone about this, is there?"

"So you want me to lie?" Peyton asked while shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well it's not exactly a lie is it? We just won't mention it to anyone"

"It's still classed as a lie" Peyton argued.

"Fine" Nathan muttered "So it's a lie, so what? Would you rather tell Haley about this? How do you think she would feel, huh? You are supposed to be one of her best friends"

"Hey! Don't do that!" Peyton hissed at him angrily "Don't put all the blame on me!"

"I'm not" Nathan defended "But I do think we should keep this quiet. Imagine how awkward and complicated things would get if anyone else found out about this? Especially Haley"

"Yeah" Peyton sighed as she put her head in her hands tiredly "I see your point" she grumbled.

"Good" Nathan nodded as he slipped on his jacket. "I will see you around" he mumbled as he made his way towards the bedroom door.

"Yeah" Peyton replied "Whatever" she sighed before sitting back on the bed. What the hell had she done?

* * *

"Daddy! Daddy!" Grace shouted loudly from her place on the swing "Push me higher Daddy! Higher!" she screamed loudly with a wide smile.

"Okay, okay princess" Lucas chuckled as he continued to push her high. "How high do you want to go?" he asked with a grin. "Up to the clouds?"

"Higher than the clouds Daddy!" Grace giggled. "Higher than the sky!"

"How about the sun?" Lucas smiled as he continued to push her.

"Higher!"

"Higher than the moon?" Lucas asked with a smirk.

"Yes!" Grace laughed as she continued to swing high in the air.

"Lucas, be careful" Brooke warned hesitantly as she slowly approached the duo.

"She's fine, Brooke" Lucas laughed as he turned his head to see the beautiful brunette walk towards him.

"I'm flying Mommy!" Grace told her loudly with a wide smile.

"Yeah I can see that baby girl" Brooke smiled as she watched her daughter swing up and down.

Lucas grinned as he stopped pushing for a moment and took a step towards her "How's my baby?" he asked with a smile as he let his fingers drift under Brooke's shirt and onto her pregnant stomach.

"Your baby is fine" Brooke smiled as she wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck. "So is your wife"

"Good" Lucas grinned as he leaned forward and kissed her softly "I love you Pretty Girl" he told her with his boyish smile after he broke away.

"I love you too, husband" Brooke smirked before leaning in and kissing him again.

"Lucas! Lucas!" Lucas grumbled tiredly as he slowly opened his eyes to find himself back in a hospital bed and sighed when he realised it was all just a dream. However, his smile reappeared when he realised who it was who was calling his name. "Lucas!"

"Hey Grace" Lucas smiled as he slowly sat up.

"I'm sorry" Brooke told him with a cringe as she entered the hospital room "I told her not to wake you up, I only went outside for 10 seconds and look what happens"

"It's fine" Lucas smiled as he turned his attention back to his daughter "And how are you?" he asked grinning "Well enough to wake a sick man up I see?" he teased.

"Yes" Grace smiled "You were snoring!"

"I do not snore!" Lucas defended.

"Yes you do!" Grace argued.

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not" Lucas smirked.

"Do too!" Grace argued back more forcefully "I heard you!"

"Yeah well don't tell anyone!" Lucas whispered in her ear causing Grace to let out a giggle.

"Okay" Grace smiled "Our secret!"

"Good" Lucas chuckled as he looked back over at Brooke who was standing at the foot of the bed while Grace went and played with some of the plants that were on the window ledge. "Hey" he smiled softly.

"Hi" Brooke smiled "How are you?"

"Okay" Lucas nodded "I'm feeling a lot better after a good nights rest"

"Good" Brooke replied "I'm glad"

"Yeah" Lucas agreed "And the doctors said I can be realised this afternoon if my test results come back okay, could even be in a couple of hours."

"Really?" Brooke asked surprised "That's great" she told him honestly.

"Yeah it is" Lucas smiled. "I wasn't expecting to you see you here though to be honest" he admitted. "Not that I'm not pleased to!" he quickly carried on "I mean, I think it's great, you know that I want to spend time with you and Grace, right?"

Brooke smiled at his rambling "I know" she told him "And we had nothing else to do, since it's the summer, Grace doesn't have pre-school and I didn't have to go into work straight away today so I thought we would drop by for a little bit"

"Thank you" Lucas smiled. "Really, I am grateful"

"I know" Brooke told him as she walked over to the window where Grace was trying to pull out the plant from it's pot. "Don't do that" she laughed as she lifted up her daughter from behind "Silly girl" she smirked.

"Hey!" Grace gasped "I'm not silly!" she defended.

"Yes you are" Brooke teased as she kept a hold of her "Tell Lucas how silly you are!"

"I'm not silly, Lucas!" Grace told him with a gasp and shook her head furiously while trying to hide the smile that was creeping onto her face.

"Oh really?" Lucas laughed and raised his eyebrow slightly "Your mother seems to think you are"

"Well my Mommy is the silly one!" Grace giggled.

"Oh so it's like that is it?" Brooke asked in mock shock "Fine, let's play it your way Gracie" she smirked before she began to tickle at her sides.

"Ah! Mommy Stop!" Grace gasped in between laughs. "Stop!"

Lucas chuckled from his place in the bed as he thought back to his dream. As much as he wished it was real, the reality wasn't as bad either.

* * *

"You look like hell" Rachel laughed as Nathan slowly walked into Brooke's store.

"Gee, thanks" Nathan grumbled tiredly as he walked over to the counter and rested his body against it. "My head is fucking killing me"

"Yeah I can see that" Rachel chuckled as she stood at the other side of the counter "Rough night last night?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yeah something like that" Nathan grunted as he looked around the store where there was just a couple of people about. "Where's Brooke?" he asked confused "Wasn't she supposed to be working today?"

"You haven't heard?" Rachel asked surprised.

"Heard what...?" Nathan trailed confused.

"Lucas and Chase got into an argument last night and apparently things got heated. Lucas ended up in hospital" Rachel told him much to the surprised look on Nathan's face. "Apparently he is fine and it was just a concussion" she shrugged.

"And Brooke is there now?" Nathan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah" Rachel nodded "She wanted to see how he was before coming to work"

"Figures" Nathan muttered while shaking his head.

"Oh come on, Nate. Give the girl a break, Lucas is in hospital" Rachel told him seriously. "Surely you can't be mad at her for wanting to see if he is alright?"

"It's just another reason for Lucas to try and get close to her again" Nathan grunted "So he may have been hurt, but I am sure he will be milking Brooke's company while he _recovers_"

Rachel rolled her eyes "Brooke is a big girl, she can look after herself" she told him. "So I will ask again, what did you get up to last night?" she asked with a smirk "Because from the looks of things I would say that you didn't get much sleep..."

"Shut up Rachel" Nathan huffed "I just had a late night, that's all"

"I bet you weren't alone" Rachel smirked "Was it Haley?"

"No!" Nathan quickly jumped in annoyed "It was nobody! I had a late night with the boys, end of story!" he defended.

"Sure" Rachel laughed before turning her attention to a customer who was approaching them.

* * *

"Oh thank god" Lucas smiled as the doctor explained to him that he would be able to go home in an hour or so. "Thank you" he told him with a smile and the doctor nodded before leaving.

"Well that's good news" Keith smiled from his place by the window.

"Yeah it is" Lucas smiled "It's great"

"I'm glad you are okay, Lucas" Brooke told him softly.

"Thank you" Lucas told her appreciatively and nodded towards his daughter who was sitting on the foot of the bed looking through random magazines. "Thanks" he repeated again telling Brooke that he wasn't just referring to her words.

Brooke nodded her head with a tight smile before looking down at her watch "Oh shit" she grunted as she quickly stood up.

"Mommy!" Grace gasped "You said a bad word!"

"I know, I'm sorry baby" Brooke apologised quickly as she hurriedly grabbed her bag and jacket.

"Are you leaving?" Lucas asked surprised at her sudden movement.

"Sorry" Brooke quickly told him apologetically "But I was supposed to be at the store an hour ago!" she said as she picked her daughter up off the bed. "Rachel is going to kill me"

"Well what about Grace? Is she going with you?" Lucas asked curiously.

Brooke nodded "Yeah, she would normally stay with Nathan or Chase but those are two different long stories" she muttered.

"Well I can watch her" Lucas quickly cut in causing Brooke to halt immediately.

"What?" Brooke asked surprised "Uh, Lucas, you are in a hospital bed" she said with a small laugh.

"I know, but I'm getting released soon, and Keith will be here, right?" he asked looking over at his uncle.

"Yeah" Keith nodded his head.

"I don't know Lucas..." Brooke trailed with a frown "You are obviously tired and when you do get released I'm sure all you want to do is go home and rest"

"Brooke" Lucas told her seriously "Please"

"But-"

"Please" Lucas repeated pleadingly.

Brooke glanced at her daughter who was struggling to zip up her coat by herself then back to Lucas' pleading face. "Okay" she sighed loudly and Lucas smiled widely. "But you will be here too, right?" she asked Keith, still unsure about leaving her daughter alone with Lucas so soon, not just after his accident but since returning to Tree Hill too.

"Of course" Keith nodded. "Brooke she will be fine"

"Okay" Brooke repeated before turning back to Grace "Will you be okay here with Lucas and Keith?" she asked softly "You have your coloring books and crayons right?" she asked motioning to Grace's bright pink bag.

"Yes" Grace nodded with a smile, happy that she wouldn't have to go to work with her mom.

"Okay" Brooke said once again before looking back at Lucas "Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, really" Lucas smiled "Brooke it's fine"

"Right" Brooke nodded as she leaned down and kissed Grace's forehead lightly "You be good for them, okay?" she warned seriously.

"I will be" Grace grinned and nodded her head.

"Great" she smiled while standing up "I will come pick her up later, I won't be too long. So just let me know if you are still here or back at Keith's place, right?"

"Of course" Lucas smiled.

"Good" Brooke nodded "Okay, well bye" she finished before leaving the room.

"So Grace, what would you like to do?" Lucas asked with a grin. He was surprised that Brooke was letting Grace stay with him, even though he knew that the main reason she probably did agree was because Keith would be there, but that didn't even matter to him. Brooke was slowly letting him into their lives and he was so happy and grateful for that.

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? I hope you all liked it. Please review and tell me! I love reading them.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it really does mean a lot.**

**Sara x**


	30. Que of Affection

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

_Flashbacks in this style of writing._

* * *

"So does this mean you are all better now Lucas?" Grace asked curiously as they walked into Keith's house a couple of hours later.

"Yep" Lucas smiled as he led her into the living room. "And hopefully neither of us will be making returns back to that hospital anytime soon" he told her. "It's not exactly the best place to be at"

"Rachel told me once that hos-i-pital food stinks" Grace told him in a matter of fact tone "Is it true?" she asked as they both sat down on the couch.

"Absolutely" Lucas smiled "It's gross"

"Ew" Grace cringed "As gross as my Momma's tomato soup?" she asked seriously "Because that didn't tase too good"

Lucas let out a short laugh, it was nice to know that Brooke's cooking skills hadn't exactly improved, at least not as much as she probably hoped it had. "Maybe not as gross as your Mom's soup" he smirked. "If it's anything from the one she made me years back, then I would definitely prefer the hospital food" he laughed while thinking back.

_"Here, I made you some soup" Brooke smiled as she walked into Lucas' bedroom with a bowl of soup in a bowl on a tray. _

_"Soup?" Lucas asked with a frown as he slowly sat up. He was sick, and too ill to go to school so Brooke decided that she too would stay home to look after him. An offer that he was happy about at first, until of course she decided that she had to baby him every two minutes. "You can cook?" he asked surprised._

_"Sure, why not?" Brooke smiled as she passed him over the tray and sat on the edge of the bed "It's tomato soup" she told him. _

_"And you made it?" Lucas asked skeptically._

_"Yes" Brooke told him with a frown "Why..."_

_"No, No" Lucas quickly defended "I was just checking, there are just some tin soups that I don't really like that's all..." he trailed hoping she would buy it. Truth be told, he was terrified to eat whatever was in that bowl._

_"Oh, well that's okay because I made this from scratch" Brooke smiled "Go on baby, try it" she urged._

_"Uh...Okay" Lucas smiled nervously as he slowly placed his spoon into the liquid. "Hey, was that the phone ringing?" he asked trying to change the subject "Maybe you should go and answer it?"_

_"I didn't here anything" Brooke frowned confused "Besides, what if I answered it and it was Jake or something, wouldn't he want to know what girl it is that is answering your phone?" she asked with a raised eyebrow._

_"Good point" Lucas mumbled as he looked back down to the soup that really didn't look very appealing. If it was tomato...it was supposed to be red, right? Because that didn't look like red to him._

_"You going to eat it or not?" Brooke asked expectantly. _

_"Of course babe" Lucas said while forcing a smile as he hesitantly raised the spoon towards his mouth, he closed his eyes as he placed it in his mouth and had to struggle not to spit it straight back out. What the hell had she put in this thing? _

_"Well?" Brooke asked impatiently._

_Lucas took note of her nervous yet excited face before letting out a smile and nodding "Yeah" he told her "It's very...tasty" More like tasteless._

_"Really?" _

_"Yeah" Lucas smiled "Thank you baby" he told her before leaning forward and kissing her cheek lightly before resting back against the headboard of his bed._

_"Well come on, eat up before it gets cold" Brooke smiled as she motioned back to the soup._

_"Right" Lucas nodded and forced a smile before reluctantly raising his spoon towards his mouth. "Yum" he let out while doing so._

"How do you know my Mommy?" Grace asked curiously.

"Huh?" Lucas asked after snapping out of his flashback and turned his attention back to the beautiful 5 year old.

"I asked, how do you know my Mommy?"

"Oh" Lucas mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously "Well...we used to go to school together" he explained.

"So you were her boyfriend?" Grace asked confused.

Lucas' eyes widened and quickly shook his head "No...I mean..." he trailed unsure of what he could say to her "We were friends" he finished.

"Like my Mom and Uncle Nathan are friends?" Grace asked curiously.

"Yeah" Lucas grumbled not really liking the example "Just like that"

"Do you know my Uncle Nathan?" Grace asked him.

"Uh..." Lucas trailed trying to hide his frown, he wasn't exactly going to tell her they were brothers who hated each other, was he? "A little bit" he told her.

"I think you could be friends" Grace told him with a shrug "Because you both like my Mommy"

"Yeah" Lucas replied letting out a dry laugh "We both do". They certainly did, but in very different ways.

* * *

"So where's Grace then?" Nathan asked confused as he sat in Brooke's office and picked up a photo of him, Brooke and his little niece from the brunettes desk.

"Oh" Brooke mumbled as she looked around her office nervously "She's with...Keith" and it's true, she is with Keith.

"Keith?" Nathan asked with a frown "Why would she be with Kei-" he started but immediately cut himself off. "Lucas!"

"No" Brooke argued "Keith!"

"Brooke" Nathan sighed.

"What? I had nobody else to look after her!" Brooke defended "Besides, Lucas is her father..."

"Don't you think it's a bit soon? The guy has only been back a month!" Nathan told her in annoyance. "What next? Sleepovers?"

Brooke rolled her eyes "Get over it, Nathan. I needed someone to look after her for a couple of hours and with Chase leaving..." she trailed with a sigh. "It was going to have to happen sometime"

Nathan shook his head, still annoyed. "Well where is she? At Keith's place?" he asked.

"I don't know" Brooke mumbled, although she did know, Lucas sent her a text saying he got released an hour ago and that they would be at Keith's house all afternoon.

"The hospital?" Nathan asked again "Because I can solve your babysitting problems by going and picking her up and looking after her myself"

"No!" Brooke grunted in frustration "She is fine with them!"

"How can you trust him?" Nathan asked in disbelief. "After everything he has done!"

"I know him, Nathan!" Brooke shouted at him coldly "I know him a hell of a lot more than you think I do!" she hissed.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Nathan asked confused.

"It means that I can see when he is serious about something, and he is serious about this, Nate. I wouldn't let him go anywhere near Grace if I even had a doubt that he wasn't!"

"Yeah well I hope that's true, Brooke" Nathan sighed "I don't want that jackass to end up hurting you again, and especially Grace"

"He isn't as bad as you make out him to be" Brooke muttered "He made a mistake by leaving, and he will be the first person to say that, but he is trying to change" she said defending her ex-boyfriend "Yes, it's going to take time, of course it will, but he is trying"

Nathan shook his head "I just hope you know what you are doing, Brooke" he muttered "I really do"

"I do, Nathan" Brooke told him honestly "Just let me get on with this"

"Fine" Nathan sighed tiredly and ran his hand over his head "If that's what you want"

"It is" Brooke told him with a small smile "Thank you"

* * *

"Well someone is grouchy" Owen chuckled as he helped Peyton stock up the bar to get ready for the night.

"Not today, Owen" Peyton muttered in annoyance "I am so not in the mood to deal with your _humour _today"

"What, rough night last night?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just shut up and get to work" Peyton told him with a frown as she continued to fill up the bar.

"Alright, alright" Owen smirked "You don't need to tell me twice boss" he laughed as he continued to move the beer crates from the bar.

"Tell you twice about what?" Haley asked curiously as she walked through the empty club and approached them, only hearing the end of the conversation.

"Haley!" Peyton said almost panicked as she quickly looked up, surprised to see her friend here "Wh-What are you doing here?" she asked nervously through a stutter.

Haley shrugged, not picking up on her friend's nervous tone before continuing "I was passing by, so I thought I would drop in. See if you have any acts playing tonight?" she asked curiously.

"Nope" Peyton immediately shook her head "Not tonight"

"Oh well" Haley replied as she sat on the bar stool "You need a hand?" she asked helpfully.

"Yes-No!" Both Owen and Peyton spoke out at the same time causing Haley to let out a little laugh.

"So, what is it? Yes? No?" Haley asked amused.

"We are fine, Hales" Peyton smiled before sending Owen a glare "We can manage on our own, right Owen?"

"Sure thing, boss" Owen chuckled while shaking his head "Peyton has been moody all afternoon" he told Haley "I think someone had a rough night last night" he smirked.

"Oh really?" Haley asked in a suspicious tone as she raised her eyebrows to one of her best friends. "Something you want to share, Peyt?" she asked teasingly.

"No!" Peyton defended quickly "I'm just tired" she muttered "Ignore him"

"You do look pretty hung over, Peyton" Haley commented.

"Was it a guy?" Owen asked joining back in the conversation.

"No!" Peyton again defended herself and glared at them both "No guy!"

"I think she's lying" Owen teased causing Haley to let out a laugh.

"And I think that you might be fired if you carry on with these ridiculous comments!" Peyton warned in a cold tone.

"Hey" Owen defended with a smile "I'm a bartender, I can sense these things"

"Well then your senses are wrong! Now go and fill up the bar in the VIP lounge, you are annoying me" Peyton told him and Owen smirked at her before nodding and doing what he was told before leaving the two girls alone.

"Well, he is right about one thing" Haley pointed out "You are definitely grouchy today"

Peyton rolled her eyes "Like I said, Hales, I am just tired. I was working late last night" she mumbled guiltily.

Haley shrugged "Okay" she answered knowing that it wasn't any of her business. "I did want to ask you one thing though" she continued.

"What's that?" Peyton asked with a frown, and also a little nervous about what that might be.

"Do you think that there is a small chance that Brooke could still have some sort of feelings for Lucas?"

* * *

"I can't believe I am getting beat by a 5 year old!" Lucas laughed as he and Grace played against each other on the PlayStation.

"I told you I was good at this game!" Grace grinned widely as she continued to hit the right buttons on the control. "I beat Nathan all the time!"

Lucas let out half a smile as he continued to try and beat his daughter, when Grace suggested to him about playing video games, he was planning on going easy on the girl, obviously that plan changed quickly and he was trying his best to at least come close to winning her. "Do you play this game with your Mom?" he asked curiously while keeping his eyes glued to the television screen.

"Sometimes" Grace answered as she let out a giggle while yet again beating Lucas. "I always win against her too" she grinned.

"I thought so" Lucas chuckled before placing down his control "How about I go and get us some drinks?" he asked "You carry on playing" he told her while standing up, needing the break after getting his ass kicked repeatedly by a little girl. His ego was definately low at the moment, but he didn't care, not at all.

"Okay" Grace smiled and Lucas watched her for a few seconds before leaving the room and entering the kitchen where Keith sat reading a book.

"Hey Keith" Lucas smiled as he walked towards the cupboards and brought out two empty glasses.

"Luke" Keith nodded "How's it going?" he asked curiously as he looked up from his book.

"Good" Lucas smiled as he walked towards the fridge and brought out the orange juice "Better than good" he told him "Great"

"That's good" Keith smiled "I'm happy for you"

"Thanks" Lucas grinned "I just hope Brooke let's me do it again, you know?"

"Yeah" Keith nodded "I am sure she will though" he told him honestly "She's a good one, Brooke"

"Yeah" Lucas sighed with a small smile "Don't I know it" he said quietly as the two formed into a small silence.

"Are you still in love with her?" Keith asked softly after a couple more seconds.

Lucas paused for a moment and ran his hand down his face before finally answering. "Yeah, I am" he admitted "I always have been" he told him. "Nothing has changed for me with her"

"Well, just hold on" Keith advised "It's going to be a long ride"

"Yeah, I know" Lucas sighed.

"Lucas!" Grace's voice echoed into the kitchen "Lucas!" she shouted again impatiently.

Lucas let out a chuckle before replying "I'm coming!" he shouted back before turning back to Keith. "How did I end up creating such a beautiful little girl like that?" he asked honestly.

"Hey" Keith smirked "That's got nothing to do with you, it's her Mother who has the looks" he joked.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head as he picked up the two glasses of juice "Honestly" he started "I can't really disagree with that, can I?" he smiled before leaving the room. And he couldn't, it was obvious that Grace inherited her beauty from her Mother.

* * *

"Haley" Nathan frowned confused as he opened the door to his apartment "What are you doing here?"

Haley shrugged as she stood nervously at the door "We haven't hung out together in a while" she explained "I was thinking you were avoiding me or something" she smiled.

"No" Nathan quickly replied trying to hide his guilt "I'm not"

"It's just I tried calling you yesterday, after you stopped by" she told him "And then again this morning, but you didn't answer"

"Sorry" Nathan mumbled "I just had a late night last night" he explained.

"You sound like Peyton" Haley smiled.

"Wh-What?" Nathan stuttered in shock "It has nothing to do with Peyton!"

"Whoa there" Haley laughed "I didn't say it did" she said a little confused at Nathan's defensiveness. "Are you okay?" she asked again seeing the look of shock and horror on his face.

"Yes" Nathan bit back in a not so nice tone "What are you doing here Haley?"

"I thought we could hang out, as friends" Haley frowned not seeing the big deal "What's your problem?"

"Nothing" Nathan argued "I'm just tired that's all" he finished with a sigh "Sorry"

"Yeah" Haley mumbled as she took a step back "I best be going then"

"Well you can stay, if you want to?" Nathan offered lamely

"No, no" Haley shook her head "It's fine" she continued "Bye" she finished before turning around and walking away.

Nathan sighed and let out a grunt as he shut his front door. Would it be possible if he could mess up anymore?

* * *

"Hey" Lucas smiled as he opened the door to see Brooke standing there. "Come in" he told her with a smile, but also a little disappointed that she had arrived, he was really enjoying spending time with Grace.

"Hi" Brooke smiled as she shut the door behind her "How has she been?" she asked curiously as she peaked her head into the living room where Grace was playing on the PlayStation with Keith.

"Great" Lucas grinned "She really has been fun to be with" he admitted "I have enjoyed it"

"So...no temper tantrums?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow "Because she has a lot of those, you know" she told him with half a smile.

"Nope" Lucas said with a small laugh "She has been perfect"

"Well, I am impressed" Brooke smirked "Normally when I leave her with someone else she tends to get into some kind of mischief"

"Well she has been an angel" Lucas told her honestly "It's been great"

"How's your head?" Brooke asked curiously as she leaned over to the side to see the white bandage that was placed on the back of Lucas' head.

"Okay" Lucas answered with a small smile. "It stings a little but I'll survive"

"Good" Brooke smiled as the two stood silently in the hallway. "Well...I best go and get Grace..." she trailed, breaking the silence that came between them.

"Oh" Lucas said disappointingly "Right" he nodded his head "Um..." he started again "Would I be able to-"

"I will call you" Brooke cut him off "Tomorrow" she finished after seeing the look of disappointment on her ex-boyfriends face.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked hopefully as a small smile crept onto his lips.

"Yeah" Brooke repeated "But let's just take this one step at a time, right?"

"Sure" Lucas told her "Whatever you need"

"Thank you" Brooke smiled at him softly before brushing past him into the living room to greet her daughter. "Gracie!"

* * *

"So Chase has left for good?" Nathan asked confused as he and Brooke sat on the couch in her house later that night. Two glasses of red wine in front of them. Grace had been put up to bed hours ago, which left the two adults alone to talk, something they hadn't really done in a long time.

"No" Brooke shook her head "I mean...I don't even know" she admitted with a sigh as she leaned forward and picked up her glass before taking a sip. "But we are over"

Nathan nodded his head "He's never been good enough for you, Brooke"

Brooke let out a dry laugh and shook her head, knowing that no matter who she would date, Nathan would disagree with it. "Anyway, enough about my love life, or lack of it, what about you?" she asked curiously.

"What about me?" Nathan asked nervously as he reached over for his glass and took a long drink of the wine, hoping to distract himself from the question.

"Any female companions lately?" Brooke asked suspiciously "Maybe a certain Miss Haley James"

"Nah" Nathan shook his head "Haley and I are over" he muttered.

Brooke frowned "Since when?"

"Since we broke up" Nathan said in a duh tone.

"Yeah but..." Brooke trailed with a frown "There's still something there, right?" she asked confused "I mean...I know there was something there, you told me yourself"

"I told you that months ago, Brooke" Nathan sighed "Things have changed since then"

"Like what?" Brooke asked confused.

"Well Haley for one, is dating other people" Nathan muttered causing Brooke to almost choke on her wine.

"What?" Brooke asked shocked "Since when!"

"Since I went over to her place yesterday to see if she wanted to do something, but she was on a date..." he trailed with a long sigh.

"Haley never mentioned anything about a date to me" Brooke frowned "Are you sure?" she asked surprised.

Nathan shrugged "Yeah I guess so"

"Wow" Brooke mumbled, still shocked about that. She was sure that Haley still had feelings for her best friend.

"Yep" Nathan mumbled as he leaned back against the couch. Deciding it would be best not to mention his one night stand with Peyton anytime soon, or not at all.

* * *

"Great" Rachel sighed as she turned over the _closed_ sign to _open_ in Brooke's clothing store a couple of weeks later.

"What?" Brooke asked confused as she looked around her fully stocked store from her place behind the counter.

"Julian Baker" Was all Rachel spoke before the door swung open to reveal a tall guy with light brown hair and a scoundrel grin. "Julian" Rachel smiled fakely "What are you doing here?" she asked, still holding up her fake smile.

"Nice to see you too, Rachel" Julian smirked and sent her a wink "But I'm not here for you today, a shame, I know, but I'm looking for Brooke Davis?"

"Yeah?" Brooke spoke up as she walked around the counter and towards the guy who she couldn't help but feel suspicious about. "That's me"

"Right" Julian nodded as he eyed her up and down with a smirk "So, you are probably wondering why a strange man you have never seen before, would come in here out of nowhere and be looking for you, right?" he asked with a nod as he glanced at Rachel who was glaring at him before turning back to look at Brooke. "But boy am I glad to have come, I thought they were lying when they told me that Brooke Davis was one hell of a beautiful woman"

Brooke glared at him "Can I help you?" she asked impatiently.

"You can, actually" Julian smiled "My name is Julian Baker, I'm a movie producer and I wanted to make a proposition to you about my latest project having a contract to use your clothes and designs"

Brooke raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rachel who shrugged. "With me? Why?"

Julian shrugged this time "I read good reviews" he told her "So why not?"

"But why not some big name company?" Brooke asked suspiciously. "Why pick a little clothing line that nobody has really heard of outside of North Carolina?"

"Because they cost too much money and are too much hassle, besides, this could be great for your business as well as your reputation." Julian told her in his honest opinion "Here is my card" he said as he pulled it out of his wallet and handed it over to her "Think about it"

"I wouldn't think about it, Brooke" Rachel interrupted "I wouldn't trust his ass as far as I could throw it"

"Well that's a shame you didn't get the opportunity, huh Rachel?" Julian chuckled before looking back at Brooke. "Don't mind her, I was just one of her conquests that rejected her advances in College" he smirked.

Brooke raised an eyebrow as she glanced between the two. "Okay then..." she mused curiously.

"Anyway" Julian continued "I so recommend that you accept. I am telling you that there is no other producer around that is better than me when it comes to spotting the little things" he smirked. "Especially you, Brooke Davis"

"Wow, someone is cocky of their own ability huh?" Brooke asked slightly amused.

"Some would call it being cocky, I would call it being confident" Julian grinned. "I can't help it that I'm the best"

"Yeah well like I said before" Brooke started "Don't get to cocky" she warned with a smile "You don't want to gain a reputation over it"

Julian chuckled "That's too bad, because I think I already have" he finished before taking a step back. "Get back to me soon, Brooke Davis" he smiled as he walked to the exit "See you around, Rachel" he winked at her with a smirk before leaving the store.

"Well..." Brooke trailed with a amused look on her face "That was interesting"

Rachel scoffed "The guy is a snake" she told her honestly. "Trust me, throw that card away now and never look back"

"Why? What exactly happened between the two of you?" Brooke asked suspiciously "Was he the only guy _ever_ to turn _the _Rachel Gatina down!" she smirked and let out a mock gasp.

"Shut up" Rachel sent her friend a short glare. "But from what I can remember, that guy is trouble"

"It could be good for the business..." Brooke trailed. "He doesn't seem that bad..."

"Okay, hold up!" Rachel frowned "Didn't Chase just leave a couple of weeks ago!"

"Hey!" Brooke defended "I didn't mean it like that!" she argued.

"Sure" Rachel scoffed.

"I didn't!" Brooke muttered. "Trust me, the last thing I want or need right now is another guy to worry about"

"Lucas Scott?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow "Have you talked to him more yet about telling Grace who he really is?" she asked curiously.

"I will" Brooke told her friend as she occupied herself with hanging more clothes up on the racks.

"So...with Chase out of the way now..." Rachel trailed "Do you ever think of getting back with Lucas?"

Brooke scoffed and shook her head "After everything that has happened, I can't believe you are asking me that"

"Well you are giving him another chance with Grace" Rachel shrugged.

"That's only because Grace deserves to know her real father. Besides, Lucas has changed a lot since High School"

"Ah I see" Rachel smirked "So I take it that's the problem?"

"What?" Brooke asked confused.

"Well you didn't fall in love with this new Saint Lucas did you? He was the bad boy when you guys were together"

"That is not what I meant!" Brooke argued "Besides, Lucas wasn't even that much of a bad boy" she muttered "His reputation deceived peoples views on him. And he was different with me than he was with anyone else"

"So you do still like him" Rachel smirked.

"I don't!" Brooke bit back coldly "Rachel just shut up, okay? I'm not in the mood with your conspiracy theories today" she muttered.

"Fine" Rachel sighed with a grin. "But I'm just saying, Brooke. You have a lot of guys queuing up for your affection. Lucas, Chase....Owen...and now maybe Julian"

"Whoa, hold on. Owen?!" Brooke gasped in shock.

"Oh come on, the guy obviously has a crush on you!" Rachel laughed "Don't tell me you haven't noticed Brooke Davis!"

"I haven't!" Brooke replied honestly "That's just weird" she muttered "Are you sure? I mean, he is Chase's best friend!"

"Exactly" Rachel smiled "Which is why he kept his mouth shut. But now that Chase has gone..." she trailed with a smirk.

"Nah uh! No way, this is just to weird to even talk about" Brooke frowned. "Let's get something straight, Rachel. I'm not getting back together with Lucas, I don't find Owen attractive, Chase and I are over, and Julian is just...a stranger!"

"For now"

"Oh god" Brooke groaned "Stop it"

"Alright" Rachel chuckled "But do you think that you could at least you could at least leave me _one_ of them?" she joked "Just not Julian" she finished seriously.

"Shut up" Brooke sent her a short glare along with half a laugh. That girl could make a drama out of anything!

* * *

"Brooke" Lucas smiled surprised as he looked up from the hood of his car he was working on to see Brooke walk into the otherwise empty garage. "Hi" he grinned as he wiped his oily hands on his towel.

"Hi" Brooke smiled as she slowly approached him.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked surprised to her, surprised but happy.

"You like turkey sandwiches, right?" Brooke asked with a small smile as she motioned to the brown bag in her hands.

"They are my favorite" Lucas grinned.

"Good" Brooke smiled "Because I thought I would bring you lunch..." she trailed nervously as she held out the bag for him to take.

"Wow, thanks" Lucas smiled with a raised eyebrow as he took the bag from her "Thank you" he told her genuinely.

"No problem" Brooke shrugged as they both went and took a seat on the old couch that was placed at the side of the garage. "So, how's your head today?" she asked curiously, she knew it had been a little while now since it happened but she could still see the small cut on the back of his head. It was definitely healing though.

"It's fine" Lucas told her honestly "A lot better, in fact, I barely feel it"

"That's good" Brooke told him. "Great"

"Yeah" Lucas nodded "So...where's Grace today?" he asked curiously. After Brooke had let him watch her alone (with Keith), he had seen her quite a few times since then, all times with Brooke but he still enjoyed his time with his daughter, if anything, he enjoyed it better with Brooke there, when it was just the three of them.

"With Nathan" Brooke told him and Lucas bit on his bottom lip before nodding. "I'm working all day today"

"Yeah, me too" Lucas replied.

"Do you like working here?" Brooke asked him curiously as she looked around Keith's garage.

"Yeah it's alright" Lucas nodded "I mean...it's a job, right?"

"Right"

"And I could be doing a hell of a lot worse"

"Exactly" Brooke agreed as the two formed into a comfortable silence. "This guy came to my store today" she started.

Lucas immediately frowned "What guy?" he asked, not liking the sound of it already. He knew that Chase had gone now, but the last thing he wanted was another guy on the scene. He wanted his family back, and that included Brooke as well as Grace. He knew it was going to take a _lot_ of time, but that was something he was prepared to do.

"His name is Julian Baker" Brooke told him "He is a movie producer and he wants my clothes"

"Wh-What?" Lucas gasped in shock "Your clothes?" he broke out in a stunned stutter.

"No. No" Brooke giggled at his reaction "I mean...my designs" she laughed. "As in...he wants to use the clothes for the movie he is producing..."

"Oh right" Lucas mumbled and felt his cheeks blush a faint colour of red. "Right" he said with half a smile.

"So what do you think I should do?" Brooke asked "I mean, Rachel knows him from college, and she tells me not to trust him. But I mean, I have checked him out online, and he has a good reputation business wise. And it would be really good for the business..."

"Well, I don't know, Brooke" Lucas told her honestly "What is your instinct telling you to do?"

"My instinct told me to talk to you" Brooke muttered with a small laugh. But it was true, that's why she was here.

Lucas smiled softly and turned his head to face her. "I can't make this decision for you, Brooke" he told her "But what I can tell you is, do what you think is right. Not just for the business but for _you. _Rachel may not trust the guy but that doesn't mean you shouldn't, but then again...you don't know him either" he said "Maybe you should just take some time to think about it"

"Yeah" Brooke sighed and let out a nod "You're right"

"Well, I'm glad you came to me" Lucas admitted with a smile. "I enjoy talking to you, Brooke"

"Yeah" Brooke smiled "I kind of missed talking to you after you left" she confessed shyly.

Lucas smiled as his eyes connected to hers. Just for a moment, they both seemed to forget about everything, just the two of them sitting together, no major worries and no tension between them. Lucas could feel that things were getting better between them each day, and he just hoped the progress continued, because,

He wanted his family back.

* * *

**A/N: Well, did you like it? I hoped you don't think it was a little rushed. The last part of the chapter, after it skipped a couple of weeks, was supposed to be in the next chapter but I decided to just add it in together because I think most people prefer to read longer chapters, right?**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, as always, it means a lot, and as you can probably tell by this update not taking as long as normal, they do inspire me to write more. So, please please please Review and I promise that I will try my hardest to update this as soon as I can.**

**And to those who read One Last Kiss, I am working on the latest chapter now, it might take a little longer for an update but it's definately coming!**

**So thanks again guys, and don't forget to review!**

**Sara x**


	31. Tric

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

Lucas and Keith sat in the corner of Tric. Two beers on the table as they both watched the band that was playing on the centre stage. The place was crowded, but not as crowded as the last time Lucas was here to watch a band he liked, probably because the act playing now was more local and less recognised. If someone told him a year ago that he would be sitting in a bar in Tree Hill drinking a beer (without getting drunk), with his Uncle Keith after just spending more time with his daughter the day before, he would never have believed them.

"You want another drink?" Keith spoke loudly as he motioned towards the bar where Peyton and Owen stood serving drinks.

"Sure" Lucas nodded as he watched his uncle stand up and head towards them. He turned his attention back to the band that were playing but took notice of Nathan sitting at a table a couple of tables away with some guys he recognised from High School. He knew he was here, he saw him when he first entered, but no words were spoken. Keith gave his other nephew a short greeting before himself and Lucas walked away without any trouble.

However, it didn't take long for the younger Scott brother to notice Keith's absence before standing up to slowly approach him. Lucas sighed as he leaned back against his chair. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Nathan today. "What do you want?" the blonde grumbled in annoyance as Nathan sat on the seat opposite him.

"I wanted to talk to you" Nathan said with a glare as he looked around Tric to see that Keith was still waiting in the que at the bar for his drinks. "And I figuired it would be best if we did it alone"

"And why is that?" Lucas asked with a raised eyebrow "So you can warn me away from Brooke and Grace again? Threaten to kick my ass if I don't leave Tree Hill? Then act like the nice guy in front of Keith and everyone else?" he asked in a bored tone "Because that game is starting to get really old"

"No" Nathan frowned while staring at his half brother with cold eyes "That's not why I came over" he said in a plain but icy tone.

"Well then why?" Lucas asked impatiently. What ever he wanted to say, he wished he would just hurry up and get on with it.

"I saw you talking to Haley James yesterday" Nathan told him and Lucas immediately sighed. He should have known. "And I was just curious as to what that may be about" he continued and looked at Lucas with a questioning glare. "Well?"

"Well, it's none of your business" Lucas answered with a shrug. He went for a walk along the pier yesterday, after spending the entire day with Brooke and Grace, he needed to get some air. Not because he didn't enjoy it, because of course he did, but because he was starting to feel a little over-whelmed. He and Brooke had agreed that they were going to tell Grace that he was her father soon, and honestly, it freaked him out a little bit. What if she hated him? It was all good just being Lucas, her mother's friend, but for the girl to know that he was the father that abandoned her was a totally different situation and he was scared in case she didn't take it well. 5 years old or not, she still had feelings.

Haley had interupted his deep thought, and the two began talking. Lucas was still grateful to her for sharing that small detail about his child when he first arrived back in Tree Hill, so he didn't feel the need to be defensive and cold towards her, which was the way he was unconciously with people who he didn't trust, which just happened to be pretty much everyone. The two had talked for a while, and it surprised Lucas how easy it was to open up to her. He explained his fears about Grace knowing that he was her father, but she had quickly reasurred him that the 5 year old would probably love the idea. Something he was very grateful to hear.

Haley had told him about how hard it was for her returning to Tree Hill. How different things were since she had left 4 years prior, but also at the same time, how nothing much had really changed. It was weird, but he totally understood it. She didn't go into much detail, but she did mention a break up with Nathan Scott. Something that surprised him, because from what he could remember from High School, Haley was the smart but quiet new girl, and Nathan was well...Nathan Scott. But then again, who would have predicted that he and Brooke would have been a couple?

"If you are thinking about a quick hook up then Haley is not that girl" Nathan said in an icy tone. "So you better stay away from her"

Lucas would have reacted angrily if he didn't find his comment amusing. Why would he want to hook up with Haley? He was over the whole one night stand crap as soon as he met Brooke. Even in New York, he rarely had any one night stands, and the ones he did have, he was too drunk or high to barely remember them. "Okay, first things first, Nathan" Lucas started in a stern tone "I'm not interested in Haley nor am I interested in _hooking up_ with anyone" he told him while shaking his head "And second, I wont stay away from her because you tell me to, and third, Haley and I just ran into each other, and we got talking. So whatever you saw, or whatever you think you saw, is false"

Nathan scoffed "What on earth would you and Haley have in common to talk about?" he asked not believing it "Haley is...intelligent and smart and funny" he started "And you...well..." he trailed not feeling the need to say anymore.

Lucas shook his head with a laugh. "I don't care what you think of me, Nathan" he told him "So...do you mind?" he asked motioning for him to leave.

Nathan sent him a glare and stood up but just as he was about to leave he turned around and looked at his brother firmly. "Just to make things clear, I'm keeping my eye on you" he warned "With Brooke...with Grace...with Haley" he said causing Lucas to let out a dry laugh. "I mean it. I'm watching you Lucas" he warned before turning around and walking away back to his table and back to his friends.

Lucas sat back and shook his head. The guy was an asshole, always has been and probably always will be. And it was times like these when he wondered what on earth Brooke or even Haley saw in that guy.

* * *

Brooke stepped outside of the cab in the car-park of Tric, she ran her hands down her black tight skirt as she stood up and glanced to her side to where Rachel was paying the driver. The two had decided to go to Tric tonight, Rachel claiming that Brooke needed to start and act her age and take advantage of her looks and single status while she was still young, Brooke however rolled her eyes at this but agreed to join Rachel anyway just for the sake of it. Grace was sleeping over at Mouth's apartment with him and Millicent watching her, so Brooke didn't have to worry about leaving early.

Rachel linked her arms through Brooke's as the two went to walk towards the steps that led into Tric but the sound of a deep males voice interrupted them.

"Well well" Julian smirked as he approached the duo "What a surprise to run into you both here" he smiled.

Brooke let out a small laugh "Hi Julian" she smiled. It had been over a week since she agreed to design a line for Julian's new movie, and the two had met up a few times to discuss business matters. Brooke liked him, he was funny and charming and his confidence amused her. She could also see why he annoyed Rachel though, the two obviously had some bad blood between them but that was all in the past now.

"Are you stalking us or something?" Rachel asked in annoyance as she folded her arms across her chest, the cold air hitting her hard without wearing a coat.

"If I was stalking anyone, Rachel, it wouldn't be you" Julian smirked at her before glancing at the brunette "Miss Davis however..." he trailed with a grin.

"Ha-Ha!" Brooke let out sarcastically before looking around the carpark which held some cars but no other people but them. "Are you here alone?" she asked curiously. Julian nodded his head and put his hands deep into his pockets.

"Aw" Rachel hissed sarcastically "No date tonight then?" she asked amused "What is it Julian? All the girls around you found out what type of man you really are?" she questioned coldly.

"No Rachel" Julian bit back with a smile "I unlike yourself, don't have to go everywhere without a date or hooking up with strangers" he smirked.

"You're funny" Rachel glared at him before looking back at Brooke "I'm heading inside, it's cold out here and I'm thirsty" she muttered and Brooke nodded at her before the redhead left to walk up the stairs and into Tric alone.

"So..." Brooke trailed "What brings you here?" she asked curiously.

"The same reason as you probably" Julian smiled "I'm bored, I want alcohol and I hear there is a band playing tonight" he said.

"Yes" Brooke nodded her head "There is, in fact...I think they have already started, so do you want to head inside?" she asked with a small smile.

"Sure" Julian nodded as he walked by her side towards the club.

* * *

"So what's with the history between you and Rachel anyway?" Brooke asked Julian as they both approached the bar. Julian ordered their drinks, after Owen sent many questioning glances in Brooke's direction but she just sent him back a look that warned him to keep his mouth shut. She did not need a repeat of what happened with Lucas the last time she was at Tric standing with a guy.

Julian shrugged as he leaned against the bar and looked around the crowded club "We have some sort of history I guess" he admitted "Most of it she doesn't even know about" he told her.

Brooke looked at him confused "What do you mean by that?" she asked curiously as she reached over the bar and took her drink that Owen handed her. She took a sip from it as she waited for Julian to answer.

"Rachel seems to think that we met in College" Julian explained as he took drink from his glass. "But actually, we met a lot earlier than that" he confessed.

Brooke let out a smile "Let me guess, she was a one night stand of yours that she obviously can't remember?" she asked with a laugh "Because that has Rachel Gatina written all over it"

Julian shook his head and let out a small smile "Nope, it wasn't that"

"Well then what?" Brooke asked suspiciously "It has to be good or you wouldn't hate her"

"I don't hate her" Julian argued "She just...annoys me" he admitted. "I don't like people like her"

Brooke frowned "What do you mean? People like her?" she asked confused and also very curious about what was the story behind Julian and one of her best friend's past meetings.

"I met Rachel in High School" Julian began and shook his head with a laugh. "She was the new girl..." he trailed.

"Let me guess? You were the sports jock and she turned you down?" Brooke asked with a smile "Did she embarrass you in front of all your friends?"

"Nope" Julian shook his head "Because that would have required me to actually have some friends"

Brooke frowned intrigued "So you are telling me that you had no friends in High School?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because looking at you now, I find that very hard to believe" she told him. And it was true, Julian Baker was a very attractive guy, he had a great personality, a very cute grin and a hot body, she couldn't deny that.

"No, I really didn't" Julian sighed while shaking his head "I was a nerd in school"

"You?" Brooke asked surprised "A nerd?"

"Yes" Julian laughed "I was nerd...and Rachel was well...Rachel" he said with a small smile "It was Freshman year, the very first day, and I was nervous as hell...anyway, I got lost and I saw her standing alone by some lockers so I asked her where a classroom was, she looked a lot older than a Freshman so I figured she would know" he told Brooke and sighed while thinking back "She completely blew me out in front of _everyone_, I only asked her where homeroom was, she started calling me all these horrible names and knocked my books onto the floor before walking off with her new cheerleader friends" he muttered in a cold tone. "Ever since that day, everybody teased me about it. Says I got put down by a girl, which I guess I did"

Brooke frowned sadly "That's horrible, Julian" she told him honestly. "And Rachel doesn't remember what she did?" she asked surprised.

"Nope" Julian shook his head "But I figured she has probably done it to so many poor idiots that she started to forget the faces" he sighed "That's why I turned her down in College, because she may not have remembered me but I remembered her"

Brooke nodded her head, it didn't really surprise her that Rachel had done this, it definitely sounded like High School Rachel, she figured it must have been before she transferred to Tree Hill High since she moved there for the second semester of Freshman year. "So what happened between you two in College?" Brooke asked curiously "I mean, she obviously remembers you and dislikes you for a reason"

"Yeah well by College I had biceps and a six pack" he chuckled "My face had matured and I actually had some _cool _friends. She was at this Frat party, she tried it on with me, and I was amused by her, so I let her get on with it...she gave me a lap dance and everything, I even went as far as making out with her. But instead of going upstairs to have sex with her like she wanted, I called her a slut and embarrassed her in front of my friends just like she did to me all those years ago. Call it immature, but I really enjoyed it" he admitted.

Brooke nodded her head in understanding. "I guess you had your reasons" she agreed, but also knowing that Rachel had changed a lot since then "But she's different from that girl now, Julian, I just want you to know that" she told him seriously "She has grew up a lot"

"Yeah I figured that one out when I saw she had a job" Julian chuckled with a smirk.

Brooke let out a small laugh with him as her eyes scanned the room and smiled when her they landed on someone she was pleased to see. "Hey Julian, I will be right back, get me another drink" she told him with a smile.

"Sure" Julian nodded "But I will be waiting" he grinned.

Brooke nodded and smiled before finishing off the remainders of her drink and leaving the bar and walking towards the tables.

* * *

"Guess who" Brooke smirked as she placed her hands over the guys eyes teasingly.

"Hmm" Nathan grinned "Jessica Alba?" he asked with a laugh.

"Ha! You wish!" Brooke giggled as she moved her hands out of the way and went and sat on the empty seat next to her best friend. "I didn't know you would be here tonight" she told him.

"Ditto" Nathan replied.

"Rachel persuaded me" Brooke smiled as she looked over at Tim who was obviously staring at her breasts. She scoffed to herself, he was still the same idiot he was in High School. "Tim!" she groaned and Tim quickly averted his eyes up and looked at Brooke nervously. "Where's Bevin?" she asked curiously, noticing that Tim's other half was not here tonight.

"Oh she is at home, looking after Nathan" Tim grinned.

Brooke smirked and side glanced over to the side to smirk at the older Nathan who immediately let out a silent groan. Brooke still found it highly amusing that Tim would name his child after her best friend.

"Figures" Brooke smiled as she leaned back against the seat but she quickly sat back up again when her eyes spotted a certain blue eyed Scott sitting not very far away. "Lucas is here!" she gasped.

Nathan immediately frowned "Yes" he grunted "With Keith"

"I will be right back" Brooke mumbled while standing up.

"Brooke!" Nathan groaned after realising where she was heading.

Brooke however ignored him as she made her way over to her ex-boyfriend who had still not noticed her presence.

* * *

"Lucas" Brooke smiled as she approached her daughter's father and his uncle. "Hi. Hey Keith"

"Brooke" Lucas quickly stood up, surprised to see her here. "Hi" he smiled back "I didn't think I would see you here..."

"Same goes to you" Brooke smiled "You here for the band?" she asked curiously.

"Yep" Lucas grinned "I would ask you the same question but I doubt you would know the answer" he smirked.

"Hey!" Brooke argued "My music knowledge is not that bad!" she defended while trying to hide her smile. "I bet I know more than Keith!" she quickly spoke out causing Keith to let out a small laugh.

"Oh wow, thanks Brooke" Keith chuckled "Way to make a man feel even older than what he is" he smirked.

"Oh!" Brooke quickly shook her head furiously "I am so sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Why did she say that? That totally came out wrong! She is such an idiot! "And you aren't even old!" she rambled on "I mean, well you are older than us, obviously, but you aren't _old_"

Keith smiled and shook his head "Brooke" he laughed "It's fine" he told her while Lucas listened in amused.

"So uh, where is Grace tonight?" Lucas asked curiously.

"Oh, she's with Mouth and Millie" Brooke told him "Apparently they are having a movie marathon or something" she smiled.

"Sounds like fun" Lucas smiled back "Hey, do you want a drink or something?" he asked.

"Yeah, why don't you join us?" Keith joined in and motioned to one of the empty seats.

Just as Brooke was about to reply she felt a presence behind her and then her name being called out. "Brooke" She turned around to come face to face with Julian who had a small smile on his face.

"Julian" Brooke smiled surprised, she turned back to Lucas who was frowning then back again at Julian who was looking at her curiously.

"I uh...I thought I would let you know I ordered you another drink if you want it?" he asked motioning to the glass in his hand.

Brooke nodded her head and glanced back at Lucas who's frown deepened. He did not look happy. "Oh uh...Lucas, this is Julian, you know, that movie producer I told you about?" she introduced trying to ease the tension that had formed between them. Lucas however didn't reply as he stood still and eyed the other guy up and down. "And, uh, Julian...this is Lucas, he is my..." she trailed unsure of how to put him "He's..." she stuttered again before finally finishing her sentence "He is Grace's father"

"Nice to meet you, Lucas" Julian told him with a smile as he held out his hand.

Lucas looked down at the hand then back up at Julian who was smirking at him, he looked over at Brooke who looked a little nervous before glancing back down to his hand and reluctantly shaking it. "Yeah" he mumbled "You too" Liar!

"Oh, and that's Keith!" Brooke pointed out as Keith stood up and stepped between the two boys.

"Hi Julian" Keith introduced himself "I'm Lucas' uncle" he said as he stuck out his hand for Julian to shake, which he did.

"So..." Brooke trailed nervously as all four of them stood awkwardly. "Enjoying the band?" she asked to nobody in particular. She glanced over at Nathan who was looking over suspiciously, probably wondering what the hell was going on. Something she would like to know herself.

"Yeah" Julian replied trying to make conversation "They are okay, I have seen better though" he smirked.

Lucas scoffed and turned his head to the side. Of course he had.

Brooke took note of this and sighed and took a step back "So...I guess we will just leave you both to it" she mumbled.

"Yeah" Lucas said dryly "We wouldn't want to interrupt your date now, would we?" he muttered coldly. "I apologise for taking up more of your time"

Brooke frowned "Lucas, it's not a date. And even if it was, I don't see how it's any of your business" she told him seriously. She knew why he was mad though, of course she did, but that didn't mean she was going to admit to it.

"Right" Lucas nodded and let out a dry laugh "Have fun then" he said while glaring at Julian. "Excuse me" he muttered before making his way past them and walking away.

Brooke sighed as she watched him, she glanced at Keith who was also sighing and then back at Julian who looked a little confused and awkward but also slightly amused. "I will be right back" she told him and handed him his drink back before walking off in the direction Lucas had just went off to.

"Sure" Julian mumbled as he watched her walk away, he turned back around to Keith "So...Lucas' Uncle Keith" he smirked "What do you do for a living?"

Keith rolled his eyes and shook his head as he took a large gulp from his beer. This could be a long night.

* * *

"Lucas!" Brooke shouted after her ex-boyfriend as she pushed past the crowds of people and to the exit where Lucas had just walked out of. "Lucas!" she repeated "Lucas!" she shouted again, starting to get annoyed with him ignoring him.

Lucas quickly jogged down the steps outside of the fire escape. He knew Brooke was behind him but he was to scared to turn around. He just made a fool of himself in there, but that didn't stop him from feeling angry.

"Lucas Scott! I swear to God if you make me run down these stairs in these heels then I will make your life hell!" She shouted at him angrily as she struggled to walk fast down the steps.

Lucas immediately came to a halt and slowly turned around just as Brooke reached the bottom steps. He looked around the dark car park before turning his attention back on his ex-girlfriend. Even when she looked confused, mad and annoyed, she still looked stunning.

"What the hell was that!" Brooke shouted at him disbelief "What is wrong with you!"

Lucas stayed silent as he took note of her anger. Why the hell was _she_ angry?

"Lucas do _not_ ignore me!" She hissed at him coldly "_I mean it_" he continued in a more stern tone.

"I'm sorry!" Lucas argued back frustratingly "What else do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me what that was about back then? Why were you so cold with Julian? He has done nothing wrong to you!"

Lucas scoffed "Brooke, if you have come here to defend him to me then don't bother!"

"I haven't!" Brooke argued loudly before letting out a loud sigh. "What is this, Lucas?" she asked, her tone softening a little. "Why are you so mad about this? It wasn't even a date! I didn't even _come_ here with Julian! We bumped into each other and he offered me a drink and we got talking, that's all!" she explained "And why does it even matter to you?"

"Why?" Lucas asked in disbelief "Fucking hell, Brooke!" he hissed at her coldly causing Brooke to take a step back in shock at his tone of voice.

Seeing Lucas now...it reminded her so much of the 17 year old version of himself, she guessed that it was always deep down there somewhere, the boy who grew up so angry. She didn't hate it about him though, that's just a part of who _he_ is. If anything, she kind of missed it.

"Brooke I hate seeing you with other guys!" Lucas carried on his rant "Whether it was Chase or Nathan or now this Julian guy. Okay? I hate it! Are you happy now?"

"But why!" Brooke gasped at him desperately "Why Lucas? Why are you being like this?"

"Like what? Like some crazy ass psycho who is probably screwing up his life again right now?" Lucas asked in disbelief "Because I don't know! I don't know why I'm acting like a jerk to you right now!" he shouted and let out a laugh in spite of himself.

Brooke immediatly shook her head "You aren't messing things up" she muttered "You don't have to stop being yourself just to try and impress me, Lucas" she told him honestly "I think you forget that I knew who you were before you came back. Don't try and change for me and Grace because it's not you! You told me once that you would never change for anybody!"

"But I have to, Brooke!" Lucas argued "I have to change because if I don't, then I'm not good enough!"

"Says who?!" Brooke argued, her voice being raised again "Who said that you aren't good enough for just being _you_? Because I certainly didn't! Lucas I don't want you to try and be someone you're not! That was the real you back in that club, I see that now, but I don't care! It's who you are! I knew that when you first came back and tried to give me a drunken kiss and I knew that five years ago too! I've always known who you are so why are you trying to change that?"

"You don't get it, Brooke" Lucas grunted sadly "You really don't. I have to change, because if I don't, you will see what Nathan and Peyton and what everyone else keeps on telling you about me. That I'm just a loser who isn't worth your time!"

Brooke groaned loudly in frustration. He said she didn't get it? Of course she did, it was him who didn't! "I don't care what they say!" Brooke shouted back "Lucas! Don't try and be someone you're not, please! Because it won't work in the long haul!"

"Well what do you want me to be then?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

"I want you to be _you_! I want you to be Lucas Scott!"

"And who the hell is that?" Lucas asked honestly. "Because I certainly don't know!"

"Well you would know if you just stopped trying to prove yourself to me all the damn time!" Brooke argued "I get that you have grown up, I can see it myself. You don't have to try and be a better a person all the time, I _know_ you are!"

Lucas stayed silent and ran his hand over his head. Was she right? He didn't know anymore.

"But what was that with Julian?" Brooke asked confused "I thought we were making progress, I thought we were moving forward. So what if I have a drink with a guy? What's that to you? Why does that make you so angry?" she asked him in disbelief.

"Because I still love you!" Lucas screamed at her loudly. "There! You wanted to know! And now you do!"

"Wh-What?" Brooke stuttered and blinked widely in shock. He what?

"I said I love you, Brooke" Lucas muttered and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that's how I feel"

Brooke stood frozen. What the hell was she supposed to say to that?

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, as those reviews inspired me to write this! Loved them!**

**So, I hope you liked this chapter :) And again, please review!**

**Sara x**


	32. Moving Forward

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**_A/N: I finished this chapter last night so I thought I would post it earlier than I normally would! I for one hopes this fast updating continues :)_**

* * *

Brooke stood silently in the dark car park. She didn't know what she was she supposed to say to that, what could she say? But suddenly, instead of speechless she soon became angry, who the hell was he to think that he could just come out and say something like that to her? Was he trying to make things weird between them!

"Brooke" Lucas whispered. Shit! He couldn't believe he just blurted that out like that. Way to destroy everything he had worked for! Now was so not the right time for him to confess his undying love to his ex-girlfriend, and he could definitely see that by the look on her face right now.

"No" Brooke shook her head and let out a dry bitter laugh "You can not say that to me! You don't get to say that to me!" she shouted at him angrily.

"I'm sorry!" Lucas argued honestly "Brooke please..."

"Don't!" Brooke shook her head furiously "You can't say that! You _left_! You are not allowed to say that!"

"I know I left! And I'm sorry for that! I'm sorry for everything!" Lucas told her honestly as he took a couple of steps towards her "Please Brooke, I'm sorry"

Brooke ran her hand over her face and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Why did you leave, Lucas?" she asked sadly. "Why did you ruin _everything_?"

Lucas shook his head and looked down at the brunette sadly "I was scared and stupid, I was a coward"

"Yeah?" Brooke asked in disbelief "And you don't think that I wasn't scared? But no, it was always about _you_ back then wasn't it? You didn't care how I was feeling!"

"Brooke don't be stupid! Of course I cared!" Lucas argued.

"You cared about yourself, Lucas! If you didn't, you wouldn't have left me alone and pregnant!" Brooke screamed at him as tears burned in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? Do you?"

"No" Lucas whispered and shook his head, trying to stop the tears that were appearing in his own eyes.

"That's right, you don't! Because you weren't there!" Brooke let out a bitter laugh and shook her head "I felt so small that day in that hospital room! When I read your fucking _note_! It took me days to tell anyone that you were gone! I felt so _stupid _and like a fool! It took a lot of strength inside of me to go and see Nathan, fearing that he would say I told you so! But you know what, he didn't! He didn't, not at all" she let out another laugh in spite of herself "Then I started to wonder that maybe all of it was just a big joke to you! That it was all planned in some stupid ploy to get back at your brother!"

"Brooke!" Lucas shouted over her "I would never do that to you! I left because I was scared that I wasn't good enough for you! I _knew_ that I wasn't good enough for you or the baby, and then when Dan came..." he trailed and shook his head sadly and furiously wiped the tears away from his eyes "I wish I hadn't of listened to him" he muttered.

Brooke frowned confused. "Listened to who?" she asked puzzled "Dan?"

Lucas nodded his head as he took a step back and leaned against the wall before slowly sliding down it and putting his head in his hands "You don't understand how that felt to me" he muttered and finally raised his head "You know, that was the first time he had ever spoken to me since I was just a kid?" he told her.

"Dan came to see you?" Brooke asked curiously as she slowly walked towards him and hesitantly sat next to him. "When?"

"In the hospital" Lucas muttered "But you know what, Brooke, it doesn't matter, I shouldn't have even thought about leaving" he said and shrugged it off.

"No" Brooke pushed "It does matter. Tell me what he said to you"

Lucas let out a small grunt and turned his head away from his ex-girlfriend. He rested his arms on his knees and tightly shut his eyes. "He told me that I was just like him, that I would grow up and end up hating you and the baby, and that I would resent you both. He told me that was what happened with Deb, and that the only reason he left my Mom was because he loved her and wanted her to be happy, but because he stayed with Deb, she suffered everyday for their _mistake_. He told me that if I stayed, the same thing would happen to you and that I would ruin yours and my baby's life. He told me that I was a Scott and because of that I would be a bad Father." he spoke quietly and looked away ashamed for actually believing him.

Brooke stayed silent as she thought about what Lucas was telling her. Why would Dan tell Lucas that? Was he really that much of a monster. "Lucas" Brooke spoke softly "You know that's not true, right?"

"Well, it kind of is now isn't it?" He mumbled and shook his head "I was stupid enough to listen to him, and I made the biggest mistake of my life by doing so" he muttered "I just thought...I thought he was right" he confessed. "I thought he was actually looking out for me, and by telling me all that stuff, he was doing me a favour so I wouldn't end up ruining yours and our child's life"

"That would never have happened" Brooke told him sternly "You were so much better than Dan, you still are, you know why?" she questioned softly. Lucas stayed silent as he shook his head no. "Because you came _back_" she continued in her firm voice "You realised your mistake and now you want to make up for it, when has Dan Scott ever done that?"

"I still messed up" Lucas muttered "It doesn't matter what he said to me. It was my choice to leave"

"Yeah and it was also your choice to come back" Brooke sighed "I think we just need to draw a line here, Lucas" she told him honestly "We need to stop going over and over the same thing all the time. Yes you left and yes you made a mistake, but now you are back. Let's just move on from it all okay?" she asked him seriously.

Lucas nodded his head and smiled at her gratefully. He noticed that Brooke was getting ready to stand up and he slowly followed her actions. He also noticed that the _I love you _comment wasn't mentioned again and he figured that he best not bring it up anytime soon.

"Are we still up for monday?" Brooke asked him nervously. They had decided that they were going to tell Grace about who Lucas really is, the girl loved spending time with her Father and it was only right that she eventually found out that fact.

"You still want to do that?" Lucas asked surprised. Good surprised.

"Yes" Brooke nodded and sent him a small smile "Remember what we said about moving forward?"

"Yeah" Lucas agreed "Thank you"

"Well I am going to head back inside..." she trailed "You coming?" she asked nervously.

Lucas sighed and closed his eyes "Brooke, I messed up in there, I shouldn't have reacted that way to Julian. Maybe it would be best if I just went home"

Brooke immediately shook her head "Don't be stupid" she smiled "Come on, I will even buy _you_ a drink"

"Oh really?" Lucas laughed "Well how can I say no?" he grinned.

"You can't" Brooke smirked "Now come on" she told him before she turned around and walked towards the entrance. Lucas smiled widely before following her. He may have revealed his deepest feeling to her, and she pretty much rejected that, but he could wait a bit longer. He knew it was going to take time and telling Brooke that he loved her so soon definitely wasn't the best idea he ever had, but at least she didn't hate him because of it. If anything, his outburst seemed to have made a major breakthrough between the two of them. Something he is very pleased about.

* * *

Keith chuckled as he walked into the hall to see Lucas looking at himself in the mirror "What are you doing?" he asked with a smirk.

Lucas' eyes widened and he quickly turned around "Keith" he said surprised "I was uh...I was just..." he stuttered not sure on what to say. Lucas Scott does not check himself out in the mirror!

"You going on a date or something?" Keith asked suspiciously and saw Lucas' eyes widen even more "Actually no...let me guess, Brooke?"

Lucas shrugged and looked away meekly "Yes" he muttered and rubbed his hands together nervously "We are telling Grace today" he told him but continued when he saw the confused look on Keith's face. "About me being her Dad..." he trailed nervously.

"Oh" Keith said surprised "Wow. I bet you are nervous" he smiled.

"I'm terrified" Lucas admitted "What if she hates me, Keith?" he asked honestly "I wouldn't blame her"

"Lucas, she is just a kid. She won't hate you" Keith told him reassuringly "This is a good thing, don't be scared"

"I can't help it" Lucas replied and let out a small laugh "This is...a big step"

"Well if Brooke is willing to let you into Grace's life permanently, which she obviously is, then I guess she is starting to trust you again" Keith told him "You said you wanted your family back, and after today, you may be half way there"

Lucas let out a small smile, deciding not to tell Keith about his love confession to Brooke two days prior. He knows exactly what his uncle would say, that it was a careless move and that it was to soon, well he already knew that. He is just lucky that Brooke seemed to forget it, but still, he isn't sure whether that is a good thing or bad. The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he made a mistake, but part of him was still wishing Brooke would say them back, and that he, Brooke and Grace would live happily ever after. If only life was so simple, huh?

* * *

"Julian" Rachel sighed as she noticed him enter the store. His usual devils grin plastered on his face. "Now what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked suspiciously.

Julian chuckled and shrugged as he looked around the store. "Actually, it's Brooke I'm looking for" he told him with a smirk "Sorry to disappoint you"

Rachel scoffed "I'm deeply hurt by that" she told him sarcastically while rolling her eyes "And to hurry you out of here, I should let you know that Brooke isn't here" she told him with a fake smile "So you can turn around and leave now"

"Well when will she be back?" Julian asked curiously, ignoring Rachel's comments. "I need to speak to her"

"Well she's not working today. So you have just wasted a trip"

"Right" Julian nodded "Well then I guess I will just have to come back tomorrow" he grinned.

"Oh please don't, Julian. You make me nauseous" Rachel replied while sending him a fierce glare.

"Well unfortunately for you, that feeling is very much returned" Julian bit back and sent her a grin "See you around, Rachel" he smirked while walking towards the door.

"Again, please don't" Rachel repeated her earlier words as she watched him leave. "Asshole" she muttered to herself before going back to her work.

* * *

"I still think I should be here" Nathan told Brooke with a frown as he sat at the table in Brooke's kitchen. He wasn't to happy with the idea of Brooke and Lucas sharing the blonde's identity with his niece, but if that's what Brooke wanted to do...then he would have to support her.

"And I told you I don't think it's a good idea" Brooke told him seriously "You and Lucas don't get on at all so it would just be awkward. Besides, I think this is something we need to do on our own"

"Oh like what, a _family_?" Nathan asked in disbelief and shook his head with a scoff.

"Shut up" Brooke fired back with a glare. He was so not helping her nerves right now. "And why are you still here anyway? Lucas will be here soon and you should be gone before then"

"Well maybe I would like to speak to him before you tell my niece the biggest news of her five years of life" Nathan muttered "You know, warn him to be good to her and all that crap"

"Oh and you would just love that, wouldn't you?" Brooke muttered "Any chance you get to threaten Lucas, you will take it"

Nathan rolled his eyes "I'm just looking out for you and Grace" he defended.

"Or maybe you just want to annoy your _brother_" Brooke glared at him "Seriously though, you should go"

"Fine" Nathan muttered as he stood up "But don't come crying to me when this all goes bad"

"It won't!" Brooke argued as she literally pushed him out of the kitchen. "Come on, go" she said with a glare, but also an annoyed smile creeping onto her lips. "Nathan!" she grunted in annoyance when he stood still, her body strength being no where as close to his. "Go!"

"Well let me say bye to Grace first" Nathan rolled his eyes "Geez" he muttered "Have a little patience" he told her before walking into the living room. "Gracie!" he called with a smile.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she watched her innocent daughter run straight into her uncle's arms. That man could have such an effect on people, it was weird. She watched on as her daughter giggled loudly at something Nathan just told her. She groaned in frustration but also nerves when she heard the doorbell ring. "Nathan!" she warned, knowing that it was probably Lucas.

Nathan rolled his eyes and sent her a look as if to say he wasn't staying. She pointed to the door back to him before making her own way there and swinging it open to come face to face with a very nervous looking Lucas Scott.

"Hey" Lucas greeted with a small smile as he stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. "I'm not to early am I?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, No" Brooke immediately shook her head "Come in" she told him as she opened the door wider and Lucas made his way into her home, only to come face to face with Nathan who was sending the blonde a glare. "Don't worry, Nathan was just _leaving_" she told him reassuringly and sent a glare in Nathan's direction.

"Yeah yeah I got the hint" Nathan muttered in annoyance as he made his way past them "Call me later" he told Brooke before sending one last glare towards Lucas and leaving the house.

"So..." Brooke trailed nervously as she clasped her hands together "How are we going to do this?" she asked quietly.

Lucas shrugged his shoulder's and sent her a nervous smile. "It's up to you" he told her and Brooke nodded her head.

"Okay" she replied and bit on her bottom lip "Well...Grace is in the living room" she told him as she motioned her hand in that direction. "Should we do it in there?" she asked nervously.

"Sure" Lucas nodded his head and let out a shaky breath. God he was terrified.

* * *

"Whoa! Sorry" Haley gasped in surprise as she felt herself go crashing straight into someone else. All her shopping bags falling straight to the ground. She looked up and smiled in surprise "Hey, I know you. You are that movie guy, right?" she asked curiously.

Julian chuckled "That movie guy, huh? Well then yeah, I guess so" he smirked.

Haley laughed and shook her head "Sorry, you know what I mean. It's Julian...right?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right" Julian grinned. "And would you like to do the honors in telling me _your_ name? Since you obviously already know who I am"

Haley smiled widely and nodded her head "Haley" she told him and stuck her hand out for him to greet, which he gladly did so. "I'm a friend of Brooke Davis?"

"Ah" Julian nodded with a smile "Brooke Davis. I see the beauty runs through her friends too then" he smirked.

"Ha" Haley laughed. "Someone is a bit of a charmer, huh?" she asked him with a smile.

"Well I am from LA" Julian shrugged "But even so, I should probably still apologise for _almost_ knocking you to the ground, or in your groceries case, _actually_ knocking them to the ground" he grinned.

"Well that's very polite of you" Haley laughed.

"Hey, I may be a charmer but that doesn't make me rude" Julian chuckled and Haley let out a small laugh alongside him. "So..." he continued "Since you are a friend of _the_ Brooke Davis, may I ask you if she's single?" he asked curiously.

"Ah..." Haley smiled and let out a small dry laugh "Now that is one complicated story"

Julian nodded his head "Well, I can do complicated" he told her with a smile. "Hey, I will tell you what. Why don't we go and get a coffee? My treat for almost knocking you over, and you can tell me some more about Brooke's complicated story" he offered.

"Oh I would, but that would be violating into my friend's privacy" Haley told him seriously but still with a smile on her face.

"Ah I see" Julian nodded "But hey, I understand, and at least that proves what a good friend you are" he grinned.

"Oh so I passed the test" Haley chuckled.

"How about we go and get some coffee anyway?" he asked with a smile. "I know this nice little cafe not to far from here..." he trailed.

Haley looked around before letting out a nod "Sure" she smiled "Why not"

"Great" Julian grinned.

"Well then, you can lead the way?" Haley smirked motioning for him to start walking.

"Right" Julian quickly nodded "Of course, it's this way" he smiled before the two started walking.

* * *

Grace sat confused on the couch as she looked from Brooke to Lucas then back to Brooke again. Brooke sighed when she saw the puzzled look on her daughters face and tried to find a way to explain it better. "Okay" she sighed as she shuffled closer to her daughter and lifted her up onto her knees. "Can you remember on your birthday? When you wished you had a Daddy?" she spoke to Grace slowly, and Lucas looked away in guilt.

"Yes" Grace nodded "But it didn't come true" she continued "So then you took me to another cake to make me wish again" she said remembering that day. "That was after Chase bought me my new bike"

"Yes" Brooke told her daughter with a small smile. "Well, your wish did come true. Lucas is your Daddy" she told her softly. "He is your Dad..."

Grace looked over at Lucas who sent her a small soft smile then back to Brooke. "But I thought Lucas was your friend"

"He is my friend" Brooke smiled to her daughter "But he is also your Father"

"Like Robbie is Miley's Daddy on Hannah Montanna?" Grace asked curiously.

"Yes!" Brooke smiled "Exactly like that" she told her.

"Yeah and Gracie" Lucas joined in and shifted closer to the little girl. "I'm sorry for not being a Daddy to you sooner" he told her in a gentle voice. "I made a mistake, but I'm making up for it now"

"So how come you weren't my Daddy yesterday?" Grace asked confused.

"He was still your Daddy yesterday" Brooke smiled "Just...you didn't know it then. But now you do. And you got your wish, Princess" she told her softly as she ran her hand through her daughters soft brown hair.

"So...you are my Daddy like Ashley Taylor's Daddy is her Daddy from pre-school's?" she asked Lucas curiously.

Lucas glanced over at Brooke confused and the older brunette quickly nodded her head at him. "Yes" Lucas told the five year old with a smile. "Just like that"

"So does that mean that you get to take me to the park?" Grace asked "And buy me lots and lots of sweets and toys!" she asked excitedly.

Lucas smiled widely and nodded his head "Absolutely"

"But not too much" Brooke quickly cut in "We don't want you getting spoiled now, do we?" he asked with a smirk as she tickled at her daughters sides.

"Ah!" Grace giggled loudly "Stop it Mommy!" she gasped and Brooke smiled before slowly removing her fingers. Grace's smile however soon fell from her face and leaned into her Mother and moved her head towards her ears.

Lucas watched as his daughter whispered something into Brooke's ear and he couldn't help but feel nervous but also curious as to what she was saying.

Brooke smiled nervously as she pulled away from her daughter. "Well..." she trailed "That's up to you" she told Grace "And Lucas too" she said looking over at the blonde.

"What is?" Lucas asked quickly, wanting to know what was going on.

"Gracie wants to know whether or not she can call you Daddy" Brooke smiled, thankful that her daughter was taking this well. Sure, she was confused and didn't really understand the full situation, but she didn't hate the idea of Lucas being her Dad and that was good enough for her. Besides, she could see that Lucas was extremely pleased with how well Grace was reacting to their news.

Lucas smiled widely. "Of course you can" he grinned "I would love it if you called me that"

Grace smiled shyly and nodded her head as she stayed seated on her mother's knee. "Hey Grace" Brooke whispered into her daughter's ear "Why don't you go and give your Daddy a hug, huh?" she asked with a small smile.

"Can I?" Grace whispered back hopefully and Brooke nodded her head with a smile. Grace smiled shyly before slowly leaning over and wrapping her arms around a surprised, but happy Lucas.

Lucas grinned as he held Grace tightly against his chest. Enjoying the feeling of his daughter being in his arms. He glanced over at Brooke who was watching with a small smile and he couldn't help but mouth thank you to her. Brooke immediately shook her head and shrugged. It was what was right as far as she was concerned. She knew Lucas really wanted this and that he didn't deserve to be punished forever for his mistakes. She also knew though that she had done this more for Grace's sake than Lucas', the girl deserved to have a Father, and now she did.

* * *

Julian chuckled and shook his head as he leaned against the bar and took a sip from his drink in Tric later that night.

"What are you laughing at?" Peyton asked curiously as she wiped the bar in front of her.

"Nothing" Julian shook his head and looked back over to the other side of the club where Rachel was sitting with some friends while glaring over at him. Peyton however followed his gaze and smiled.

"Rachel Gatina huh?" She asked with a smile "She doesn't seem to like you very much" she pointed out.

Julian shrugged "Yeah well the feelings mutual" he told her with a smile "So...do you like own this place or something? I see you here all the time" he commented.

"Wow, way to remind a girl that she has no life" Peyton joked "But no, I don't own it, I am however the manager and pretty much run this place single handily. The owner doesn't really do much with this place and she has kindly left it all to me" she smiled.

"Lucky you" Julian smiled "I would love it if I got to run a bar for the rest of my life. Imagine all the free alcohol" he smirked.

"Yes that is a bonus" Peyton smiled. "So...how long are you in Tree Hill for?" she asked curiously. "It's not exactly a place for _big LA producers_ to hang about in" she smiled.

Julian shrugged "I kind of like it here" he admitted "Besides, the movie is getting filmed in Charlotte so instead of packing up my stuff, I decided to just stay here."

"Fair enough" Peyton nodded with a smile. "This is a weird town" she started "But I can't imagine living anywhere else"

"Yeah" Julian smiled "It definitely draws people in"

"I can see that" Peyton smirked "Hot movie directer from Hollywood decides he is going to stay in a small town in North Carolina instead of the _big_ _city_" she smiled "Now _that_ would be a good movie"

Julian chuckled "Well maybe someday I will make it. Only if you will be my lead actress" he smirked.

Peyton laughed lightly and smiled over at him "Maybe" she grinned.

* * *

"Thanks" Lucas smiled as Brooke handed him over a glass of red wine. Grace was lying asleep on the other couch across the room, falling into a nap while watching their second movie of the night. Things seemed to be going well so far, something that both Brooke and Lucas were grateful for.

Brooke smiled as she sat down next to him and looked over to their sleeping daughter "I should go and put her to bed soon" she stated quietly as she looked at her daughter, who was sleeping with one of her hands resting on the side of her face while the other was draped around her soft pink blanket.

"She looks cute when she sleeps" Lucas commented with a smile "So peaceful"

"I know" Brooke smiled "Sometimes I wonder if she's better while sleeping or awake. I swear that girl can be trouble sometimes"

Lucas chuckled "Just like her Mother then?" he asked with a smirk.

"Hey!" Brooke mock glared at him "I'm not that bad"

"Right"

"I'm not!" Brooke defended with a smile before looking back over at Grace. "I should take her to her room" she said while placing her wine on the table "I will be right back" she told him as she walked towards her daughter and gently swooped her into her arms before leaving the room.

Lucas smiled as he watched her go while taking a sip from his wine. It wasn't long before Brooke returned and she smiled as she sat down next him. He took another sip from his drink before placing it on the coffee table in front of him. "So..." Lucas trailed with a smile "Today went well"

"Yeah" Brooke smiled "Thankfully"

"I have to admit, I was really nervous about telling her" Lucas confessed shyly "I was scared in case she would hate me"

Brooke smiled and shook her head "Grace doesn't hate anyone" she told him "Besides, she has always wanted a Dad"

Lucas nodded his head "I felt like crap when she was talking about always wanting to have a Daddy" he admitted "It made me realise even more how badly I screwed up things"

"Yeah well it's in the past now" Brooke told him "Let's move forward. Grace knows about you now, the hard put is done...now we just..." she trailed not sure on where they go next.

"Now I'm actually going to be a good Dad instead of just talking about being one" Lucas told her seriously "I really mean that"

Brooke smiled softly, she was so glad that Lucas was trying, things were definitely moving forward. "Hey" she smiled softly. "You have come a long way since the day we met, huh?" she laughed.

Lucas let out a small chuckle "Ah yes, I remember that night clearly" he grinned "And if I remember correctly, I saved you from an asshole"

Brooke rolled her eyes "You didn't save me from anyone" she argued "I could have clearly handled him myself. Besides all you did was get us _both_ kicked out of that bar!"

"Hey! In my defence, I thought the guy was coming on too strong so I intervened" Lucas defended "Besides, if I hadn't of done that we probably never would have..." he trailed not sure if he should say it.

"It's okay" Brooke smiled "You can say it" she told him "It did happen. It was part of our past"

Lucas nodded "I know, I just don't know how much I can say" he admitted "Especially after what I told you on Friday at Tric..."

Brooke immediatly looked away from him and bit on her bottom lip. The two sat in a somewhat awkward silence and Lucas cursed himself for bringing it up. "Anyway" Brooke broke the silence as she leaned over "More wine?" she asked with a smile.

Lucas nodded his head "Sure" he replied, glad at the change of subject as he watched Brooke pour the red liquid into his glass.

* * *

Rachel rolled her eyes as she glanced over to Julian who was laughing with Peyton at the bar. She couldn't understand how anybody would want to be in the company of that jerk. However she changed her attention towards Nathan who was sitting in a sulk, he had had a little bit to drink, which was making him even gloomier than normal.

"Hey come on, Nate" Rachel smiled "Lighten up" she told him cheerfully "So Brooke is telling Grace about Lucas, get over it. At least that means you will have less babysitting duties now" she smirked.

Nathan looked up and sent her an icy glare "Shut up, Rachel" he muttered annoyed "You don't know shit"

Rachel sighed and nodded "Yeah, you're right. But hey, Brooke knows what she is doing. And it's not like you wont still be there for them both, Lucas may be Grace's father but you have _always _been there, Nathan, and Brooke won't forget that" she told him reassuringly.

Nathan sent her a small smile and nodded "Yeah, I hope so" he mumbled.

"Hey, why don't you and I get out of here?" Rachel asked with a smile "Away from people we know!"

"Oh yeah, and where would we go?" Nathan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hm..." Rachel smirked "I could think of a few places"

Nathan nodded his head with a grin as he stood up, he held his hand out for Rachel to take and the second she stood up her lips crashed against his.

"Whoa!" Nathan pulled back immediately in shock, surprised at the fiesty redheads actions. He was not expecting that.

"What?" Rachel asked confused "Come on" she smirked "It's just a bit of fun. Besides, you can't deny that you find me attractive" she teased him as she ran her finger down his chest slowly. "Nathan" she spoke quietly to him. "I know you want this"

Nathan blinked hard and looked down to Rachel's finger which was making it's way down his chest. Before he could say anything else though Rachel leaned closer to him and softly pressed her mouth against his before slowly pulling away. Nathan opened his eyes and looked down at her before placing his hands on her waist while leaning forward and kissing her hungrily.

Rachel smiled into his mouth as she grabbed onto his shirt tightly as her lips furiously attacked his. Nathan eventually pulled away out of breath, he smirked at the redhead before sending a quick glance over in Peyton's direction to make sure that she hadn't seen what just happened.

"So" Rachel smirked. "Want to get out of here?" she asked with a seductive grin.

Nathan smiled and nodded his head "Yeah" he smirked while grabbing her hand "Come on" he told her before leading her out of the club, not noticing Julian watching on with a confused frown.

* * *

**A/N: So, surprised at Nathan? Well things are going to get even more complicated later on! So just read and find out :)**

**Thanks to every single one of you who reviewed, they really have inspired me to write more! So, please review again and tell me what you thought about the chapter! **

**And for those of you who read One Last Kiss, I promise you that the next chapter will be coming! It's just a working progress right now and it's taking me longer to write than this story is right now. It's weird, I go through phases where I can write loads and loads for that story, and hardly any for this, and then vice versa which is happening now. I can't really do much about it but I am saying that it will be coming soon, not sure how soon but I am working on it! :)**

**Well, thanks again, and don't forget to review! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

**Sara x**


	33. Picture Perfect

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: I know some of you aren't that happy with Nathan right now, but to be fair to the guy, on this story, he isn't nor never has been the sensible Nathan from the show, and also on this story, he is 22 years old and single and a _guy_. However, I do agree that he is making a mess by sleeping with his 'friends' but then what would be a story without drama? :)**

* * *

"Aha. I have finally tracked you down" Julian grinned as he walked into Brooke's store the next day. "You are one hard girl to find" he commented and Brooke looked up with a smile.

"Julian" Brooke smiled "Long time no see"

Julian shrugged as he leaned against the counter "I hear you have been busy" he told her "But it's good to know that you are still around"

"As always" Brooke replied "So...what do I owe the pleasure of this visit on this fine afternoon?" she asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side with a smile.

"Well, I could say that I needed to check something out about the movie or the contract. But really, that would all just be an excuse to see you" Julian smirked.

Brooke chuckled "Well then, here I am" she grinned. "Go for it"

"Okay" Julian nodded "How about, you and me, dinner in a restaurant tomorrow night?" he asked with a smile.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Julian?" Brooke asked with half a smile.

"Well, you can call it a date if you want. You can call it whatever it is"

"And what is that?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It is what it is" Julian smiled "You and me having dinner together"

"Right" Brooke said letting out a small dry laugh "That sounds complicated"

"Yeah well I hear you are one very complicated girl Brooke Davis" Julian smirked.

"Oh yeah?" Brooke asked intrigued "And who did you hear that from?" she asked suspiciously.

"I have my sources" Julian told her with his usual grin. "So...what do you say?" he asked with a smile.

Brooke smiled and stayed silent as she thought about it. She tried to block it out of her mind but all she could think about was Lucas fucking Scott. 'Pull your self together Davis'. "Sure" answered him with a smile, that's much better!. "Dinner sounds great" she told him.

"Good" Julian grinned widely "Great" he continued. Brooke nodded and bit on her bottom lip as she raised her eyebrows at him. "So uh..." he trailed "Should I pick you up at eight?"

"Yeah" Brooke smiled as she watched him take a couple of steps back "Eight is fine. You know where I live, right?" she asked.

"Yep" Julian nodded with a grin "See you then" he told her before leaving the store.

Brooke sighed loudly and shook her head with a small smile, she was kind of excited, Julian made her feel good about herself, something she hadn't really felt in a long time. He was funny and charming and they got along well, so why did she feel a little guilty for accepting his _date_, and why did that make her think of that blonde haired blue eyed ex-boyfriend of hers?

* * *

He wanted to call Brooke so badly. If anything, he _needed_ to call her. He needed to hear her voice and he needed to hear his _daughter's _voice. But he was working, and Brooke was working, and Grace was at Peyton's, and he wasn't going to see them until later on in the the day, so he was left alone in his Uncle's garage. He finished working on his last car of the day, but business had been quiet this week so he had nothing else to do. Keith had gone to Charleston for the day to see his kids, and hoping to also bring them back with him for the rest of the week.

So that left him sitting alone in his Uncle's office, his feet placed up on the table and his head resting against the back of the chair. He pulled out his cellphone and searched down his contact list which wasn't very long so it didn't take much to reach _Brooke_. He sat silently for a few more moments, just staring at her name on the small screen before finally finding the courage himself to hit the little green button and bringing the phone up to his ear.

It didn't take many rings for his beautiful ex-girlfriend to answer, as her cheerful voice echoed through the phone. He found it hard to believe that she wasn't even speaking to him just a few months ago.

_"Lucas, Hey!"_ Brooke's voice was like music to his ears and he smiled widely just listening to her speak. _"Hello? You still there?"_ she asked confused.

"Yeah, yeah" Lucas quickly replied, feeling stupid for not answering "I'm still here, sorry"

_"It's okay"_ he heard Brooke let out a small chuckle. _"So...what's up?"_ her curious voice asked him.

"Oh uh..." Lucas stuttered nervously. He wasn't exactly going to tell her that the only reason he called was because he wanted to hear her voice, because that definitely would not go down well. "I just wanted to know what time I'm meeting you and Grace tonight?" he asked. Good one. The perfect excuse, because it was actually true!

_"Oh right yeah"_ Brooke replied _"Um...well, I think I finish work in a couple of hours, it depends if I'm locking up or not, but uh...maybe about sixish?"_ she asked him expectantly.

"Sure. Sure" Lucas smiled into the phone "Six is fine" he told her and looked down at his watch to see it was only half past two! That is three and a half hours away!

_"Great"_ Brooke spoke back to him and he could almost hear the smile in her voice, at least he hoped that's what it was. _"So...are we meeting somewhere beforehand or at the restaurant or what?"_ she asked with a curious tone in her voice. The two decided last night that they should go out for dinner with Grace the next night, just for Grace and Lucas to get used to the idea of being Father and Daughter.

"Well I could always pick you and Grace up?" Lucas suggested hoping she would say yes. Please say yes, please say yes, please say-

_"Yeah sure that sounds fine"_ Yes! Yes! Yes!

"Good! Great" Lucas grinned "So shall I pick you up at six?" he asked with a smile. Thank you!

_"Sure"_ Brooke replied and Lucas stayed silent as he heard voices in the background. _"Ah look I have to go, I have customers."_ she told him.

"Oh, Okay" Lucas nodded disappointingly "See you tonight then?"

_"Yep. Bye"_ Brooke finished before hanging up.

Lucas grinned widely as he leaned back into the large leather chair. He was glad he called her.

* * *

"So that means that I have a Daddy now" Grace finished explaining with a huge grin on her face. She had Peyton sat in on the porch steps in Peyton's back yard, an ice cream cone in each of their hands. Half of Grace's was all around her mouth but she was still attempting to eat it.

"Wow" Peyton replied and forced a smile. She knew about Brooke's plans about telling Grace the truth about Lucas but she didn't think that it would be so soon, so she couldn't help but feel surprised when Grace told her that she now had a Dad as well as Mom and that her Dad was Lucas. "That's great Gracie" she smiled and rubbed her goddaughters back softly.

"Mommy said we are all going out tonight too" Grace smiled "She said that my Daddy is paying so I can have whatever I want!"

Peyton let out a small laugh in spite of her real feelings. That was so something Brooke would do. "I hope you order the most expensive thing on the menu, mind you!" she told her with a smile. "He owes you that much" she let out in a mutter at the end.

"What do you mean?" Grace asked looking up at her godmother confused, not understanding what she meant.

Peyton smiled and shook her head "Tell your Mom that and she will understand" she smile "Ah look at you!" she mock gasped and motioned to the chocolate sauce splattered all around the five year olds mouth. "You have it everywhere!"

"It is not!" Grace defended stubbornly and tried to wipe it off her mouth as quickly as she could but it only smudged it more.

Peyton laughed and shook her head "Come on, let's get you cleaned up" she told her with a smile as she lifted her up and carried her into the house. She was happy for the little girl, she had always wanted a Dad and now she does, even if it is Lucas Scott. She just hopes that the blonde wouldn't mess it up, because God only knows his Scott genes reputation is against him.

* * *

"Oh and hello. What time do you call this?" Brooke asked the redhead with a raised eyebrow as she watched one of her best friends stumble through the front door tiredly.

"Shut it" Rachel muttered in a cold tone as she made her way around the counter "I know I'm late. And honestly, I don't really need a lecture from you"

"Ooo" Brooke chuckled "Someone obviously had a rough night last night" she smiled. "So...are you going to give me details without biting my head off?"

"No" Rachel mumbled as she leaned her head in her hands which were resting on the counter. "I'm just a little hungover, that's all"

"Right" Brooke smiled "Anyway, since you are over two hours late, I think you should lock up tonight"

"What!" Rachel groaned "But I did last night! It's your turn!" she grunted.

"Well, you were late and I have somewhere I need to be" Brooke told her "And since Millicent has the week off, it's only you left! I know, it's a shame" she smirked.

"Urgh" Rachel grunted "You can be a bitch sometimes Brooke Davis"

"Hey!" Brooke defended "I am a good boss. If it was anyone else I bet they would have fired your ass months ago!" she told her seriously.

"Yeah yeah" Rachel shrugged and waved her off. Damn her head was hurting.

* * *

"So what's going on with you and Nathan?" Peyton asked curiously as she sat down on the couch in Haley's apartment. Haley had noticed her friends avoidance of her recently but Peyton was quick to deny this claiming that it was just hard with work lately and even went as suggesting a quiet girls night in. Which was what they were doing right now.

Haley sighed and shook her head as she took a large sip from her wine. "Thing's are...complicated between us right now" she admitted "Actually, there's not really much going on"

Peyton nodded and tried to hide her guilt for sleeping with him. "Yeah...Nathan Scott isn't exactly the best person to be in a relationship with" she muttered also thinking about their past. "He never likes to make the first move either"

Haley shrugged "Well to be honest, we haven't really talked a lot recently" she confessed "But maybe that's what we need, you know? A bit of space between us...ever since I got back things have been tense but if we just keep our distance for a while maybe it will be easier later on"

"Yeah" Peyton sighed "Maybe"

"Anyway, enough about Nathan Scott" Haley smiled "What's going on with you? Any boys on the scene lately?" she asked curiously.

Peyton let out a nervous laugh and shook her head "No...no boys" she mumbled "I'm definitely single"

"Oh really?" Haley asked suspiciously "So there are no guys that you are interested in?"

"Nope" Peyton shook her head.

"Well what about Owen?" Haley asked with a smile "He's pretty hot..."

"Owen!" Peyton gasped and immediately shook her head "Like bartender Owen?" she asked in shock. Haley nodded with a smirk. "No! No way! Ew!" Peyton shook her head and let out a laugh "I would never go there with him"

"Oh come on, why not?" Haley asked laughing "He's cute!"

"Maybe but he is _so not_ my type" Peyton smiled and shook her head. "No!" she warned again when she saw the raised eyebrow on her friends face.

"Okay, okay" Haley smiled and took another sip from her wine. "But as soon as you find a new guy. I want details" she warned.

* * *

"Mommy I'm finished!" Grace told her mother excitedly as she bounced up and down in the booth that they were sitting at in the Pizza Parlour. "Look! All gone!" she grinned as she showed her Mother her plate.

"Yes that's because half of it went around your face!" Brooke laughed and sent Lucas a smirk who chuckled alongside her. "Come here" she pulled her daughter closer to her and wiped the tomato sauce off her from around her mouth.

"Can I go and play in the arcade now?" Grace asked excitedly as she pointed towards the kids section in the restaurant.

"Honey you have only just finished. Can't you wait 5 minutes?" Brooke asked seriously.

"But you promised I could go right back when I eat all my Pizza! And look, there's not Pizza left!" Grace pouted "Please"

Brooke sighed loudly and shook her head "Fine" she told her as she lifted the 5 year old over her to let her out of the booth. "But I will be calling you back soon if you want desert!" she warned.

"Okay!" Grace smiled as she went to run towards the games but immediately came to a halt and turned to Lucas with a shy smile. "Can you come play with me?" she asked.

"Sure" Lucas smiled to his daughter "Why don't you go ahead and I will catch you up in a little bit?" he told her softly.

"Okay!" Grace grinned widely before running towards her wanted destination.

"That girl can't keep still for more than 10 minutes" Brooke smiled as she watched her daughter attempt to reach the handles _and_ the peddles of a car racing game, which was probably there for some of the older kids.

"I know" Lucas smiled as he followed Brooke's gaze to Grace. "She's great. I'm glad that I get to be a part of her life now"

"Me too" Brooke agreed with a smile.

"Daddy!" Grace's voice echoed through the restaurant and Lucas smiled widely at the name. Still not getting used to be calling that. Brooke would have scolded her daughter for shouting like that in a public place but she knew it meant a lot to Lucas, she was still surprised at how well her daughter was taking Lucas into her life, but she certainly wasn't complaining, even though hearing Grace calling Lucas 'Daddy' would take a little more getting used to.

"I will be right there!" Lucas called back before turning back to Brooke "Thank you" he told her sincerely before standing up and walked towards the arcade section.

Brooke watched on with a small smile as Lucas sat down on the car racing machine and put Grace on his knees so she could reach the wheel while Lucas pressed the peddles with his feet. She couldn't help herself when she pulled out her cellphone and snapped a picture of the two. They definitely looked picture perfect.

* * *

"Just to let you know, we don't need to talk about what happened last night" Rachel said over the music as she walked into Tric the next night and sat down next to Nathan who was sitting at the bar alone.

Nathan shrugged "I wasn't planning on it. We had some fun, now it's over, that's cool with me" he told her plainly.

"Good, because I certainly don't want to be named as another notch on Nathan Scott's belt" Rachel muttered as she sat down next to him and ordered a drink from the barman.

"Thanks" Nathan mumbled. "So...you haven't told anyone, right? Because I don't want people knowing about what happened last night. Not Brooke, not Peyton and especially not Haley"

"Nah, I'm not stupid" Rachel replied "Besides, what's the deal with you and Haley? You obviously don't like her as much as I thought you did since you had the best ride of your life last night" she teased.

"Shut up" Nathan hissed with a glare "And Haley isn't any of your business. But I do like her...it's just...complicated" he muttered.

"Like you and Peyton complicated? Or Brooke and Lucas complicated?" she asked with a smirk.

Nathan however quickly swung his head around "What do you mean me and Peyton complicated?" he asked shocked. Did Rachel know about what happened between them?

"I just meant since she is your ex and everything" Rachel replied in a duh tone. "But you seriously need to pull your ass out of your head if you want to win Haley back. And having sex with random girls isn't going to help that"

"You weren't a random girl" Nathan frowned.

"No...which probably makes things worse. Besides, the mood you were in last night I think you would have took _anyone_ home" she smirked.

Nathan however rolled his eyes "Whatever Rachel, we should just stop talking about what happened. It was a mistake. So just make sure nobody else finds out, okay?" he warned.

Rachel shrugged "Yeah yeah" she rolled her eyes "Don't worry, your man-whore ways are safe with me" she teased before patting his cheek and picking up her drink before leaving the bar and towards the back of the club where she spotted some friends talking to some really cute boys.

* * *

"Hey Brooke, you know um..." Lucas trailed nervously as he gripped the steering wheel of his car and glanced at his daughter who was sleeping in the back seat after being worn out from running around the arcade all night.

"Yeah?" Brooke asked with a small smile as she noticed the nervous and hesitant look on his face. "What is it, Lucas?"

"Well, I was just thinking...well...if you ever need somebody to look after Grace while you are working or something, well, I wouldn't mind doing it" he suggested nervously and quickly cringed at the look of surprise on Brooke's face. "I mean...you can say no if you want, I understand if you think I am trying to rush things but I'm not, honestly, I just...I want to be in her life properly and well..." he stuttered nervously "I don't think...well...I don't think that seeing her every now and then would work with that."

Brooke stayed silent as she thought about what he was saying. Part of her wanted to tell him no, that it was too soon and that she didn't trust him fully yet, but then the other part of her, the part of her that was starting to see the Lucas she fell in love with, the one who was happy that he and Grace connected so quickly, she wanted Lucas to be a full-time Dad to to their daughter.

"Can I think about it?" Brooke asked hesitantly and sighed at Lucas' disappointed face. "I'm not saying no, Lucas. I'm not" she told him honestly "I just don't want to rush things"

"No it's okay. I understand" Lucas mumbled as he looked away. "It's fine"

"Lucas" Brooke sighed and gave him a small smile "I don't normally work most Saturday's while Grace is off Pre-School, but I have to go in for a couple of hours because I have a new line coming in, so maybe you could watch her then?" she offered.

Lucas' eyes lit up happily "Yeah?" he asked hopefully "I mean...that's if you don't mind"

"No it's fine. And it will only be for a couple of hours anyway so you can probably just take her to the park and then lunch or something?" she asked.

"Yeah" Lucas nodded his head furiously "Yeah that sounds great" he agreed with a grin. "Thank you, Brooke"

"Stop thanking me" Brooke smiled. "You don't need to thank me to spend time with your own daughter"

"I know. But I am grateful"

Brooke nodded as she opened the door to the car "Tonight was fun, Lucas. We should do it again"

"I think so too" Lucas smiled as he watched Brooke close the door and walk to the back seat where she picked her sleeping daughter out of. He waited and watched until he saw that they were safely in the house before driving away.

Tonight was definitely a good night.

* * *

**A/N: Well? Like it? Please review and tell me! As you can probably tell they do help me to update! So thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. **

**Thanks again.**

**Sara x**


	34. Be Patient

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

* * *

"You are so unfair Uncle Nate!" Grace moaned loudly as she held onto her uncles hand as they walked through the streets of Tree Hill. "You suck!"

"Grace" Nathan sighed and shook his head, his basketball tucked under his free arm. "I told you that I'm not going to play tag with you. Reason number 1, I'm 22 and too old to play, and second, there is only two of us so where is the fun in that? Besides, we are going to the River Court"

"But I don't want to play stupid basketball!" Grace moaned as she tugged onto his arm in frustration.

"Hey!" Nathan defended "Basketball is not stupid"

"Yes it is!" Grace shouted loudly.

"No it's not" Nathan argued back.

"It is!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is! Yes it is! Yes it is! Yes it is! Yes it is!" Grace shouted at him as she jumped up and down repeatedly "Basketball sucks! Basketball sucks! Basketball sucks!" she sang loudly.

Nathan groaned before dropping the basketball onto the grass next to him and picking up the 5 year old and swinging her over his shoulder. "You see what you make me do?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Ah!" Grace screamed trying to hide her giggles. "Put me down Nathan!"

"Nope" Nathan grinned as he picked the ball back up and continued walking towards the River Court. "Not until you say that you love basketball"

"But I don't love basketball!" Grace argued "It's boring!"

"Well then I guess I wont be putting you down anytime soon" Nathan smirked as he headed towards the River Court. He however immediately came to a halt as he approached the court to see his Uncle Keith their playing basketball with his kids, as well as Lucas.

* * *

"Biting your nails, chewing on your bottom lip, pacing up and down repeatedly, checking your cell phone every two minutes, looking at your watch constantly and looking up towards the doors everytime someone comes in. What's up Davis?" Haley asked with a smile as she leaned against the counter in Brooke's store.

"Huh?" Brooke asked being snapped out of her little trance before remembering what Haley was saying. "Nothing" she defended "I'm just...tired"

"Right" Haley smiled "Tired or nervous?" she asked curiously.

"Nervous?" Brooke asked with a frown "Why would I be nervous?" she asked quickly "I'm not nervous" she told her friend and saw Haley raise her eyebrows with a smile. "I'm not!" she defended sternly.

"Okay" Haley chuckled "But I'm guessing it has something to do with your date with Julian tonight?" she asked suspiciously.

"What!" Brooke gasped "How did you know about that?" she asked shocked.

Haley shrugged "Julian told me"

"You _know_ him?" Brooke asked surprised.

"Yeah" Haley replied like it was no big deal "We bumped into each other a couple of days ago and we met up for coffee this morning"

"Well then maybe _you_ should date him" Brooke muttered.

"Okay" Haley laughed "Seriously, what is bothering you?"

"Nothing!" Brooke defended.

"Brooke come on. I know you well enough to see that something is wrong" she told her honestly "So come on, what is it? Julian? Nathan?" she asked and Brooke shook her head "Ah" Haley sighed at the realisation "Lucas"

"I can't help it!" Brooke quickly defended before Haley could even speak again. "He's just in my god damn mind constantly! And I hate it! I mean...why? Why when I'm trying to think about what to wear tonight do I think of Lucas? Why when someone walks through the door I think it's going to be Lucas? Or if someone calls me, I think it's going to be Lucas! I can't do anything!"

"Maybe you're scared?" Haley suggested.

"Scared of what?" Brooke asked confused.

"Well you are going on a date with another guy tonight, Brooke. You have been spending a lot of time with Lucas lately too, and maybe you are just scared of Lucas finding out about Julian" Haley commented with a shrug.

Brooke blinked at the realisation, knowing that that was probably true. "But why would I be scared anyway?" she asked "It's not as if Lucas and I are together..." she trailed "It's none of his business who I date"

"Well then keep telling yourself that" Haley told her "You deserve some happiness, Brooke. If that's with Julian, then great" she smiled "But if it's with Lucas..." she trailed "Well then that's great too"

"No" Brooke immediately shook her head "I don't like Lucas like that!" she defended.

"Okay" Haley nodded with a smile knowing that her friend may still have feelings for her ex-boyfriend despite how much she tell herself she doesn't. Like they always say, you can never forget your first love.

* * *

"Nathan!" Andrew shouted excitedly as he ran towards his cousin.

"Hey pal" Nathan forced a smile as he ruffled the boys hair around jokingly "I didn't know you were in Tree Hill" he told him honestly and looked up at Keith with a small smile. He realised that Grace was still hanging from his shoulders, not seeing who was there yet, but definitely hearing the voice.

"Put me down Nathan!" Grace moaned loudly as she hit his back with his fists "Please"

"Say you love basketball" Nathan chuckled and Andrew let out a laugh.

"Fine" Grace pouted "I love stupid basketball" she muttered.

Nathan laughed knowing that that would be the best he would get out of her today and quickly pulled her down.

"Ha-Ha I tricked you!" Grace shouted at him with a smirk "I had my fingers crossed! I don't like basketball!" she told him with a satisfactory smirk.

Nathan chuckled and shook his head but immediately stopped when he watched Grace's eyes light up and her smile widen when she saw Lucas standing on the court, and it certainly didn't take her long to leave her uncles side and sprint towards her father.

Lucas grinned as he watched his daughter run towards him and he quickly bent down and caught her as she jumped into his arms. "Hey Gracie" he grinned. "What a surprise to see you here"

"Uncle Nathan made me come" Grace explained as Lucas lifted her and stood up with her still in his arms, ignoring the fierce glare that Nathan was sending him. "But I'm glad I came now" she smiled.

"Me too" Lucas smiled as he pushed some of her brown hair out of her eyes just as Nathan hesitantly approached them with Keith.

"Boys" Keith warned "The kids are here. Watch yourselves" he told them sternly.

"Hi Keith!" Grace smiled as she waved her hand to her great uncle.

"Hey Grace" Keith smiled back "Hey, why don't you go and play over there with Lily? She has her dolls" he told her with a smile.

"Okay!" Grace smiled excitedly as Lucas reluctantly put her down and they all watched the little girl run towards the nine year old.

The three men stayed silent. Neither knowing who should be the first to speak, so Keith took the opportunity to try and at least make a little piece between the two estranged brothers, even if it was just for a little while. "Look" Keith sighed "I only have Andrew and Lily for the rest of the week, and I am sure that they would like to spend time with their two cousins without them fighting. So please, for them and for _Grace_ can you just leave whatever argument you guys were about to have for another time?" he asked them seriously.

Lucas shrugged and nodded "That's fine with me"

"Nathan?" Keith asked expectantly.

Nathan broke his icy gaze from Lucas and turned to his uncle with a sigh. "Fine" he muttered.

"Good" Keith smiled "Now I don't expect you guys to play together but my 11 year old son wants us to play basketball with him, and dare I say this to two _adults _but maybe you should play one at a time?" he asked.

"Yeah" Nathan agreed "I will sit and watch Grace and Lily while you two play basketball" he told them not wanting to watch Lucas interact with his niece anymore than he had to.

Lucas frowned. "Well what if I want to watch them?" he asked.

"Boys!" Keith cut in again before another argument started "Come on, this is stupid" he told them. "Lucas, why don't we finish off our game we were playing before Nathan got here, and then when we are finished you and him can swap places" he suggested but it wasn't really a suggestion. More like an order.

"Okay" Lucas mumbled.

"You heard that Nathan?" Keith asked his other nephew and raised his eyebrows at him.

"Yeah whatever" Nathan answered with a mutter before walking towards the two girls who were playing on the grass by the river.

Keith rolled his eyes before patting Lucas' back and turning him towards the court where Andrew was waiting for them. "Come on" he told him "Let's play"

* * *

Brooke smiled at something Haley was telling her as she automatically glanced towards the door when she saw the last person she was expecting to see walking up the steps "Oh my god, what is she doing here!" she hissed quietly. Haley turned around curiously and sighed loudly.

"Brooke!"

"Mother" Brooke replied with a fake smile. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in New York?"

"Yes well change of plans dear" Victoria replied in her usual scratchy voice, completely ignoring Haley's presence before looking around the store "Where is that girl? What's her name again...Mel-"

"Millicent" Brooke answered for her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes" Victoria nodded as she walked towards the closet rack to her and began to browse through the clothes. "Where is she? I need her to run an errand"

Brooke rolled her eyes "She has the week off" she replied "And she's _my_ assistant. Not yours"

"Brooke" Victoria sighed "Do you seriously give your staff that much time off? You should run things more tightly around here if you want them to respect you"

"They do respect me" Brooke bit back and shook her head, she sighed when she saw Haley gave her a sympathetic smile. "Mom, how long are you planning on staying here for?" she asked tiredly.

"Well maybe a couple of hours. It depends how much of a mess you have made here since I've been gone" Victoria replied in her usual cold tone.

"I meant in Tree Hill" Brooke muttered.

"Oh, well that depends. The New York branch is fine, thank god! But according to our sales figures from this place, numbers have been down recently" she told her "Something I obviously need to change as you don't seem capable enough to do so"

"Victoria" Brooke sighed "Business has been fine here, not as busy as normal but it's still _fine_" she told her in a firm tone.

"Yes well it still needs improving" Victoria told her sternly. "I will be out back in the office looking through sales figures from the past month, I don't want to be disturbed" she warned before turning and walking around the back and towards Brooke's office. Brooke's office that Victoria tended to use as her own.

"Great" Brooke muttered annoyed "This is all I need"

"Yeah" Haley agreed and let out a dry laugh "Your Mother is certainly..._something_"

"Like that's the right word for it" Brooke scoffed and shook her head. "I really don't need this right now" she muttered.

The last thing she wanted was Victoria back in Tree Hill criticising her every move.

* * *

"So wait" Lily frowned confused "You're her Dad?" she asked surprised motioning to Grace who was sitting on Lucas' knee as the three of them sat on the grass just by the river.

"Yep" Lucas grinned. "That's right"

"Hm" Lily mused as she looked at Grace "I thought you didn't have a Dad"

"I do now" Grace smiled as she combed a little plastic hair brush through her dolls hair. "Do you like her hair?" she asked pushing the doll upwards towards Lucas' face.

"Yeah" Lucas chuckled. "It's nice"

"Good" Grace nodded in satisfaction before turning her attention back Lily and eyed her dress up and down suspiciously "Hey, I know that dress!"

"Your Mom made it" Lily explained "She sent it to my Mom last week!" she smiled.

"It's pretty. Don't you think it's pretty?" she asked motioning for Lucas to comment.

"Yeah" Lucas smiled "Everything your Mom makes is pretty" he told her honestly. "Including you" he teased causing the 5 year old to let out a giggle.

"Lucas!" Lucas looked up to see Nathan walking towards him with a frown. "Time to trade" he told him in an icy tone.

Lucas sighed and shook his head. "I will be back later, okay" he whispered into Grace's ear and lifted her off his knees before standing up, but as he went to walk towards the court where Keith and Andrew were waiting for him, Nathan grabbed his arm tightly and side stepped towards him. Lucas raised his eyebrow and turned his head to look at the younger brunette. "What are you doing?" he hissed angrily "Get off of me"

"I'm watching you Lucas" Nathan warned quietly into his ear. "I mean it"

"Get your hand off of me" Lucas repeated in a more fierce tone. "Now"

Nathan shook his head and lightly pushed Lucas back before letting go of his arm. Lucas sent his brother a glare before walking past him and towards the court while shaking his head, that guy was and always will be an asshole.

* * *

"This place is nice" Brooke commented as she and Julian sat down in the posh restaurant. She had never been here before, in fact, she didn't even know this place existed, but then again, she very rarely went out to places like this, most places she went to eat were the cafe, fast-food restaurants or Pizza Parlours with Grace.

"Yeah" Julian smiled "I love it here. I found it the night I arrived in Tree Hill, I had nothing to do and was hungry so I came out looking for some place to eat, when I just came across this place" he explained "It has to be the best Italian place I have ever been to"

"Oh really?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow "And I'm guessing with you being from LA you have been to a _lot_?"

"Oh yeah" Julian grinned and smiled to the waitress as she came to order them some drinks. "So..." he trailed afterwards. "Where's Grace tonight?" he asked curiously.

"With Nathan" Brooke told him causing Julian to sent her a curious glance "He is her uncle...and my best friend" she explained. "He's been great with her ever since she was born" she smiled.

"Nathan" Julian nodded "Which one is that again?" he asked not knowing many faces in Tree Hill yet and smiled again as the waitress came back with their drinks.

"Tall, brown hair, coaches the Tree Hill Raven's basketball team?" Brooke described him "He was at Tric...that night when I saw you there..." she trailed. "He said a brief hello"

"Oh" Julian nodded finally remembering "Yeah I remember him now. He's the one dating Rachel or something, right?" he asked curiously causing Brooke to nearly choke on her wine.

"What?" she asked surprised and shook her head laughing "No...No...they have never dated. Nathan used to date Haley though" she told him "And even Peyton a long long time ago"

"Oh" Julian mumbled and took a sip from his drink "I must have been mistaken then" he said quietly.

"Yeah probably" Brooke smiled and cursed to herself when her cell started to ring. "Sorry" she told him apologetically as she rummaged through her purse.

"It's fine" Julian smiled as he watched her.

Brooke sighed as she saw _Victoria_ flashing on the screen before slamming her cell shut deciding not to answer.

"Who was that?" Julian asked curiously and smiled at the look of annoyance on Brooke was showing. "Or should I even be asking? From the look on your face you obviously aren't to fond on that caller?"

"No" Brooke shook her head "Not at all" she muttered "It's my Mom, actually" she explained "Well...we don't exactly get along...she...she likes to try and control my life, you know? Yet she never gave a damn about me while I was growing up" she told him with a bitter tone attached to her voice.

"Yeah" Julian agreed and let out a dry laugh "I certainly know the feeling. My Dad...well...he's not exactly the proudest parent"

"How come? You are successful, I mean...you are a _movie_ producer, you can't get any better than that surely?" Brooke asked him surprised and curious.

"Try telling him that" Julian muttered bitterly and shook his head while waving it off. "Anyway" he tried to change the subject "How about we order some food? I don't know about you but I'm starving" he grinned.

Brooke smiled "Me too" she replied as she flipped through the menu.

* * *

Peyton and Haley were standing on either side of the bar in Tric that night talking. Peyton laughed at something Haley had told her but her smile slowly faded when she saw Lucas walking towards the bar.

Haley turned her head around just as Lucas was approaching and sent him a small smile. "Hey Lucas" she offered politely much to the frown that appeared on Peyton's face.

"Haley" Lucas nodded back to her and sent her a weak smile before turning to Peyton "Can I have a beer please?" he asked ignoring the frown that was formed on her face.

"Sure" Peyton mumbled as she went to go and make his drink.

"So" Haley started "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

Lucas shrugged "I thought I would give Keith and the kids some time alone, especially with how crowded that place can get sometimes when they are there" he explained "I didn't know where else to go so I thought I would come here to see if there are any bands playing tonight" he told her with a shrug.

Haley nodded "I don't know if there is actually" she admitted just as Peyton came back and handed Lucas over his beer. "Hey Peyt, is there any bands playing tonight?" she asked curiously.

Peyton shook her head "No not tonight" she told her.

"Ah well" Lucas sighed "I might as well stick around for a couple anyway" he said while turning around.

"Well you can join us if you want?" Haley asked just as Lucas was about to walk away.

Lucas took a step back towards them and looked at Haley hesitantly. "Uh...well..." he trailed nervously and looked at Peyton awkwardly.

"Go on" Haley urged him "You are Grace's Dad, we all need to get along at some point, right?"

Lucas nodded "Okay" he agreed as he took a seat next to Haley at the bar. He would do anything for his daughter. "So..." he started "Where's Brooke tonight?" he asked curiously.

"Oh you don't know?" Peyton asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Peyton!" Haley warned sternly causing Peyton to shrug.

"Know what?" Lucas asked confused and looked at Haley who looked nervous "Guys?"

"It's nothing" Haley cut in "Ignore her"

"No...No" Lucas repeated and looked at Peyton who was leaning against the bar "Tell me what?" he asked her.

"Brooke's on a date" Peyton told him simply and Lucas' face fell. "Sorry" she muttered before turning around and walking to serve some more customers.

"I'm so sorry, Lucas" Haley told him apologetically "Peyton doesn't know when to shut up sometimes"

"It's fine" Lucas muttered and slumped his shoulders down before taking a sip from his beer. "Who with?" he asked.

"You don't need to know that" Haley sighed. "Besides, it's nothing serious..."

"Who Haley?" Lucas asked in an annoyed tone.

"Julian Baker" Haley reluctantly told him. "You know...the movie-"

"Yeah I know who he is" Lucas immediately cut her off "I didn't think she would be dating so soon after Chase..."

"Well" Haley started "Like I said before, it's nothing serious, and Brooke even told me herself that she's not looking for a relationship right now. Julian is just a friend..."

"A friend?" Lucas muttered and shook his head "And what type of _friends_ go on dates?"

"You shouldn't let yourself get down about this" Haley told him honestly "Brooke doesn't want a relationship right now, she's just gone with Julian tonight because she enjoys his company. You can't be mad with her for that"

"I'm not mad" Lucas defended and then let out a loud sigh. "Just...just a little disappointed" he admitted.

"Do you want Brooke back?" Haley asked curiously.

Lucas shrugged "I don't _not_ want her back" he confessed "But she's not interested in me, and I honestly don't blame her"

Haley sighed not sure on whether or not she should be telling Lucas this, however she rolled her eyes to herself and decided to go ahead anyway. "Are you sure about that?" she asked him.

"What?" Lucas frowned confused.

"Are you sure Brooke's not interested in you?" Haley asked him curiously "Because...well...I know I shouldn't be saying this to you, and Brooke will _kill_ me if she finds out, but Lucas...I think Brooke may still have feelings for you"

"Wh-What!" Lucas gasped in shock but immediately shook his head "No...no way, not after everything I have put her through. Besides, I screwed things up that way the other week anyway" he muttered.

"What do you mean?" Haley asked him intrigued. "What happend?"

Lucas sighed and ran his hand down his face before looking up to Haley with a small cringe. "At Tric the other night, I told Brooke that I was still in love with her"

"Oh" Haley's eyes widened in surprise "Wow"

"Yeah. Exactly"

"I take it that she didn't say it back?"

"No" Lucas shook his head and let out a dry laugh in spite of himself "She definitely _didn't_ say it back"

Haley stayed silent for a few moments before speaking up. "She's not ready yet, Lucas" she told him honestly and Lucas nodded his head agreeing "But...I still think something is there with her, there has to be, I can just tell. So maybe you shouldn't give up"

"It's already to late" Lucas muttered "She's on a date with _Julian_, remember" he said saying the guys name in a bitter tone.

"And I told you that Brooke told me herself that it was nothing. Don't let that stop you" Haley told him firmly. "You told me when you first got back to Tree Hill that you wanted your family back, right?" she asked.

Lucas nodded "Yeah" he mumbled.

"Well you are already half way there with Grace. Don't give up yet, Brooke is still there to try and win over, it's just going to take a lot of time and energy for her to trust you again"

"I know" Lucas sighed "But even if she does finally fully trust me again, that doesn't mean she will want to get back together with me"

"You don't know that for sure. Just be patient Lucas" Haley told him and patted his shoulder reassuringly "Be patient" she repeated.

* * *

**A/N: Aren't I on an updating roll? Lol! I hope you all liked it! And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, they do inspire me to write more.**

**Okay, so. I have a little bit of bad news, not really bad but kinda, I'm rambling so I will get on with it. This may be the last chapter posted for 3 weeks. I am going away next Saturday for 2 weeks and I don't know if I will have another chapter posted before then. So, I will try and finish the next chapter and post it before then, but I can't guarantee anything. Just to let you guys know in case you think I have stopped my updating again. **

**So, don't forget to review! I love reading them! Thanks!**

**Sara x**


	35. Almost Almost

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: Just a quick note or warning or whatever. This chapter goes through time a bit throughout the whole chapter, which is something I don't think I've done in a while but I think it needed to be done. So, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Brooke stretched her legs out in front of her as she slowly woke up, she stretched out her arms as a yawn escaped her. Turning her head to the side to read the small digital clock on the bedside table she saw that it was still early and in about 10 minutes her very active 5 year old daughter would be up out of bed and wide awake. She slowly pulled herself out of the comfortable double bed and swung her dressing gown around her before making her way out of her room. As she walked through the hall she stopped by Grace's door and peaked inside to make sure the girl was still sleeping. She was.

Slowly and tiredly Brooke made her way down the stairs, flipping the lights on as she did so. She walked into the kitchen and turned on the grill and kettle preparing to make breakfast before walking back into the hall and opening the front door to grab the morning paper, but stepping out of the door she almost stood on something she wasn't expecting to see there.

She frowned confused to herself as she slowly bent down and lifted up the single red rose that rested on her doorstep. She looked around confused and saw that nobody else was around, she hesitantly walked to the edge of her front yard and picked up the paper before looking around once more, still nobody around, at least nobody she recognised anyway.

By the time she got back into the house she was just in time to see her daughter walking groggily down the stairs, knowing that it would take a few minutes for the 5 year old to wake up before returning to her hyperactive self. "Morning baby girl" Brooke smiled to her softly as she took a hold of her hand and led the little girl into the kitchen. "You want some breakfast?" she asked as she placed the rose onto the table.

Grace nodded her head without saying a word and Brooke sent her a gentle smile before taking out the toast from the grill and putting them on a plate before buttering them up. "Here" she handed the plate to her daughter before making her some juice.

"What's the pretty flower for?" Grace asked confused as she watched Brooke sit down next to her, a cup of coffee placed in between her hands.

"I don't know" Brooke told her honestly "I found it on our doorstep this morning" she explained as she eyed the flower carefully. There was no note attached to it or anything and part of her wondered if it was even meant for her. Maybe it was the wrong house?

"Haley told me once that when somebody sends you a flower it means someone likes you" Grace pointed out while chewing on her toast. "Do you like someone Mommy?" she asked curiously.

Brooke shook her head and smiled "Maybe it's for you"

"For me!" Grace gasped surprised.

"Yeah" Brooke nodded her head "In fact, it _is_ for you" she smiled and picked up the rose "Here you go" she said while handing it over to her.

Grace grinned widely and eyed the flower up and down "It's pretty" she commented "Should we put it in some water? That's what we did in Pre-School" she explained.

"Sure" Brooke nodded as she stood up and found an empty vase before filling it up with water and placing the rose in it and setting it on the table. "Does that look good to you?" she asked.

Grace nodded her head "Yeah" she smiled as she continued to eat her breakfast.

Brooke stayed in silent for a few moments as she eyed the object up and down. She couldn't help but wonder who it was from, she then thought back to her date with Julian a week ago and let out a weak smile, maybe it was from him?

* * *

"Well?" Haley asked with a smile as Lucas walked into the cafe that morning. "Did you do it?" she asked him excitedly.

"Yes" Lucas laughed at Haley's excitement and sat down on a stool next her. "I don't think it's going to work though" he admitted.

"Maybe not" Haley shrugged "But you have to start off small." she told him.

"And what? You think putting a single red rose on her doorstep is going in the right direction?" Lucas asked still unsure. He was glad that Haley was helping him though, he didn't know why she was, but he was thankful for it.

"Yes!" Haley told him firmly. "Stop being so negative all the damn time!" she told him while shaking her head. "Where is the Lucas Scott I used to hear all kinds of stories about from High School?" she asked him curiously.

"That Lucas is long gone" Lucas sighed and shook his head. "And he's not coming back"

"Why not? Surely you weren't _that_ bad. Besides, you obviously did something right if you managed to get Brooke Davis to fall in love with you" Haley told him with a smile.

Lucas again shook his head "I was a bad person" he told her. "It was that person who abandoned Brooke and Grace, I'm not going back there" he told her firmly.

"Okay so maybe not" Haley sighed "But you really need to get your ass into gear. You either want Brooke back or you don't. There's not maybes or uncertainty to it" she told him honestly. "It's that simple and it's up to you" she finished and sent him an expectant glance before standing up "I've got to go." she told him before walking out of the cafe.

Lucas watched her go and put his head in his hands. He wanted Brooke, of course he did, but he was scared. Brooke obviously didn't want him and if he tried to win her back so soon, what if he ruined his chances with her _and_ Grace? Because if that happened, it would kill him.

* * *

"Julian" Brooke smiled surprised as she opened her front door to see Julian standing there, a boutique of flowers in his hands. "Wow, are those for me?" she asked surprised.

"They sure are" he grinned as he handed them over to her, Brooke leaned down and smelled the multi-colored different types of flowers that grew out from the plastic bag they came in.

"Thank you" Brooke told him sincerely but then raised her eyebrow "That red rose not good enough for you?" she asked with a laugh as she motioned for him to come inside and led him into the kitchen.

"What?" Julian asked confused as he walked into the kitchen. "What red rose?"

"That one?" Brooke frowned and motioned to the rose that was placed in the middle of the table. "Wait...it's not from you?" she asked confused.

"No..." Julian trailed and slowly shook his head "But I would like to say that it was..."

"Hm" Brooke mused curiously "I wonder who it's from then..."

"Maybe you have another secret admirer?" Julian asked with a smile "Should I be jealous?" he teased.

"Shut up" Brooke smiled and shook her head.

"So, I was thinking maybe I could take you out for lunch today?" Julian asked curiously "I haven't took you out since our _date _last week"

"Ah" Brooke started and sent him a small smile. "I can't. I already have plans..." she trailed.

"Oh I see, that's fine" Julian waved her off and smiled. "With Grace?"

"Yeah" Brooke nodded "I said I would take her out for lunch and then maybe to the park or to the beach..."

Julina nodded "I understand. She comes first"

"Yeah..." Brooke trailed and nervously played with her fingers. "Actually, Julian" she started "I like you, I do but-"

"You don't want to date me" Julian cut her off with a smile and Brooke slowly nodded as a small cringe appeared on her face.

"Sorry" Brooke mumbled. "But I do like you, Julian, just not like that..."

"It's fine" Julian told her honestly and sent her that scoundrel grin she loved. "We can be friends" he said. "And it's not as if we were anything more to start with...you said yourself you weren't looking to be in a relationship right now"

"Exactly" Brooke smiled "I am so glad you agree with me" she confessed relieved "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea..."

"No it's cool" Julian replied with a smile "Really"

"Good" Brooke smiled back "So do you want to stay for a quick coffee or something?" she asked hopefully "Grace is watching TV, apparently there is a Hannah Montana marathon this morning so she probably wont be making a sound for a little while"

"Yeah sure" Julian grinned as he said down "Why not?"

"Good" Brooke repeated her earlier words as she turned around to make them so coffee, glad that her and Julian could be friends. Still in the back of her mind however was the curiosity of where that red rose had come from...

* * *

"You're right" Lucas sighed just as Haley opened her apartment door. "You are absolutely right" he muttered.

"Oh yeah?" Haley asked smiling as she walked back into her apartment, Lucas following her. "I wondered how long it would take for you to realise"

"I've been an idiot" Lucas told her as he sat down on her couch "I mean...I love Brooke, I'm in _love_ her. Yet what have I been doing about it? Nothing..I mean I have literally been doing _nothing_"

Haley grinned widely, so glad that Lucas was finally starting to get it, it took him a while...but still, he got there! Eventually! "Exactly, now all we need to do is find a way for you to get Brooke back" she mused as she sat in her thoughts for a few seconds "It's going to take a lot" she admitted and Lucas nodded his head agreeing. "But I'm pretty positive she still loves you so maybe it wont be as hard as we first thought"

"I'm trying to think of what I can do to show her that I will never hurt her again. I can say all the words in the world but I need to _show _her" Lucas admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck while trying to think of ways to prove it.

"Okay, well we need to take our time with this" Haley told him honestly "Rushing Brooke Davis is never going to work"

"Yeah don't I know it" Lucas replied with a small smile.

"Right. Like I said the other week in Tric, you need to be patient, just bide your time and spend some more time with Grace and leave Brooke to me at the moment, let me do some digging" Haley grinned excitedly.

Lucas let out a laugh and shook his head "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Of course I am" Haley smiled widely "Everyone loves to play cupid every once in a while"

* * *

"I can't believe Grace is going to be going to Kindergarten for 5 days a week on Monday!" Brooke moaned. It had been over a month since Lucas decided that he was really going to fight to get his family back, and although things were going slow, they were definitely going somewhere. "She's growing up way to fast for my liking" Brooke continued ranting. "I mean...she's only five! And she's starting school in a year...I wish she would just stay with me all day everyday forever" she muttered.

"But she has to grow up sometime" Lucas said with a smile as he sat down on the park bench next to Brooke, both of them watching Grace who was playing in the sandbox with some other kids.

"Yes" Brooke mumbled "But not so _fast_! And she's going to be there every week, all week! It's just so weird!"

"I think she will love it" Lucas told her and he smiled as he heard his daughter's laugh echo around the park. "I mean just look at her" he said while nodding his head towards Grace who was playing happily with other kids around her age. "She loves making new friends, that's one thing I've noticed since being in her life"

"She loves you, you know that right?" Brooke turned to face him and gave him a soft smile. "She talks about you _all_ the time too" she explained while letting out laugh. "You should hear here, Daddy said this! Daddy did that! I swear sometimes she makes me jealous" she joked.

"Nah" Lucas shook his head "There's nothing to be jealous of" he smiled. "I just hate that I've missed so much of her life already, you know?"

"I know" Brooke nodded "But she's still young and you came back. That's all that matters now"

"Mommy! Daddy!" Grace shouted as she ran towards her parents quickly "Come look at the big sandcastle I made! Come on!" she smiled widely while grabbing both of their hands and leading them towards the sandbox.

"Wow that's amazing, Grace" Lucas smiled as he eyed the sandcastle up and down.

"Yeah it's great" Brooke agreed.

"So are you going to knock it down now?" Lucas asked curiously causing Grace to gasp loudly.

"Why would I knock it down?" she asked shocked causing Brooke to raise her eyebrows at Lucas in amusement.

"Didn't you know Grace? That building the castle itself is only half the fun" he explained with a smile "Knocking it down feels just as good" he told her honestly.

"Really?" Grace asked surprised "Do you think I should knock it down?" she asked him in wonder.

"That's up to you" Lucas smiled.

"Mom?" Grace asked Brooke curiously as she tried to figure out what to do.

Brooke shrugged "Whatever you want to do baby girl"

"Okay" Grace smiled as she turned back to Lucas "So do I just break it down?" she asked.

"Yeah" Lucas smiled.

"Will you help me?" she asked him and Lucas nodded his head. Grace slowly approached the castle before lifting back her leg and kicking the castle causing a lot of sand to tumble down, she giggled loudly before kicking it again "This is fun!" she smiled.

"I told you" Lucas laughed as he knocked some down himself with his foot.

"You are both crazy" Brooke laughed as she watched the scene in front of her. "That took you ages to build!"

"So!" Grace smiled widely as she continued to destroy her castle "It's fun!"

"Yeah Brooke" Lucas agreed and turned to look at Brooke with a grin "It's fun" he smirked repeating his daughter's earlier words. "And you want to know what else is fun?" he asked with a flirty tone.

"Let's hear it?" Brooke mused with a small smile.

Lucas smirked as he leaned down and picked up some sand in his hand "This" he grinned before throwing the sand at Brooke, causing it to land all over her top.

Brooke gasped in shock and looked down to her now sand covered shirt. She looked up at Lucas stunned who was struggling not laugh and then at Grace who wasn't as good as him at hiding her laughter as she stood there giggling at her mother. "That was _so_ not funny!" Brooke told him disbelief.

"Oh come on" Lucas smirked "It was pretty funny, wasn't it Gracie?"

"Yeah!" Grace quickly agreed with a nod "Really funny!" she giggled.

"Right that's it!" Brooke said loudly before leaning into the sandbox and picking up a handful of sand before dropping it on top of Lucas' head causing Grace to laugh even louder.

"Oh my god!" Lucas gasped in shock not really expecting Brooke to retaliate. He shook his head and rubbed his head furiously to shake the sand out of his short blonde hair before turning to Grace with a smirk. "Sand fight!" he shouted and Grace giggled ecstatically before throwing sand towards him.

It didn't take long for Brooke to join back in as the three of them all crawled about in the sandbox throwing sand off of each other, not caring whether or not it was getting in their hair or on their clothes because for one of the first times in quite a long time, they were all _really_ having fun.

* * *

"Nathan" Haley opened her door surprised to see her ex-boyfriend standing there, a bottle of wine in his hands. "What are you doing here?" she asked confused. The two hadn't really talked properly or spent time with each other in weeks! So it surprised her to see him standing on her doorstep as if nothing happened.

"I just thought..." Nathan trailed nervously "Well, you start your first day working at the school on Monday, right? So I thought maybe I would come round and give you advice or something" he mumbled.

"Thanks but I don't need your advice" Haley told him honestly "You coach the Raven's Nathan, I'm the new English teacher, it's a completely different situation"

"I teach Gym Class too" Nathan defended "I just thought that maybe I could warn you about some things, you know? Disruptive students, annoying teachers..." he trailed.

"I'm sure I will be fine" Haley answered him curtly.

"Okay" Nathan muttered and let out a sigh "I just thought maybe I could help" he said defeated "But obviously I was wasting my time" he said before turning around and walking away.

Haley groaned to herself and looked around for a second before speaking "Nathan!" she called after him. Nathan turned around and looked at her expectantly. "Come in" she sighed loudly and Nathan sent her a small smile before making his way back towards her and into her apartment.

"Thanks" Nathan smiled as Haley shut the door behind them.

Haley rolled her eyes to him as she pulled two glasses out of the kitchen cupboard. Why did she always have to give in to him?

* * *

"That's Grace out of the bath, in her PJs and tucked up in her room watching a movie" Brooke smiled as she walked into the living room where Lucas was sitting on the couch. "She had sand _everywhere_" she giggled before before laughing even more when she still saw a load of stand stuck in Lucas' hair. "You still have it all over!" she smirked.

"Yeah" Lucas chuckled. "That's the thing with sand, just when you think you have it all out, more appears!"

"Well it's your own fault" Brooke told him with a smirk "You started the whole thing"

"Hey!" Lucas defended smiling "It was fun! Come on, I know you enjoyed it"

"Fine" Brooke gave in "Maybe a little" she smiled.

"I knew it" Lucas smirked as he began to scratch the back of his head irritably. "It's not going away" he muttered.

"Two seconds" Brooke told him while quickly leaving the room before returning with a towel. "Let me have a look" she said as she sat back down on the couch on her knees and leaned over him and put the towel over his head before rubbing it around with a laugh. "God you are almost as bad as Grace" she teased.

Lucas chuckled and agreed, secretly enjoying the closeness between the two of them. Brooke removed the towel but still saw bits of sand lingering in his hair. "It's still not coming out" she commented as she let her fingers trail through Lucas' short blonde hair. "If I get sand stuck in my nails after this..." she started.

"Sorry" Lucas smiled nervously realising just how close Brooke actually was to him.

"There" Brooke spoke quietly "I think it's all gone..." she said softly but still kept her fingers lightly touching his hair. Her face was so close to him now and Lucas knew that all he needed to do was lean forward and he would be kissing her.

Brooke's breath hitched in her throat when she realised the situation they were both in, her left hand still wrapped around the back of Lucas' head while the other lightly lingered in his hair. She looked down to his lips then back up to his eyes which looked like they were staring right into her soul.

"Mommy!"

Brooke immediately snapped out of her gaze and pulled right back and stood up, her hands straight by her side as she glanced away from Lucas into the direction where Grace's voice was coming from.

Lucas let out a quiet sigh in disappointment and nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he watched his ex-girlfriend struggle to contemplate on what to do next.

"Mommy!" However his daughter's impeccable timing brought her back to earth and she muttered that she would be right back without even looking at him before quickly leaving the room.

* * *

"What do you mean, an _almost_ almost kiss?" Haley asked confused but also with a laugh as she watched a nervous looking Brooke walk up and down her store in frustration.

"I don't know, Haley! I mean...we almost almost kissed" she tried to explain, finding no other way to do so.

"So he nearly kissed you? But didn't?" Haley asked with a smile.

"No..." Brooke trailed with a frown "That's what I mean, he didn't go to kiss me, and I didn't go to kiss him...but..."

"But you both could have?" Haley asked amused.

"Yes!"

"Wow" Haley commented from her place on the couch as she watched Brooke pace up and down in front of her. "Sounds intense"

"It was, sorta" Brooke muttered "I mean...it was...I don't know! I can't explain it"

"Do you wish he kissed you?"

"No!" Brooke quickly defended, _too_ quickly for Haley's liking. "No" she repeated "Of course not"

"Are you sure?" Haley asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because it's obviously bothering you"

"It's not bothering me!" Brooke denied "Why would it be bothering me? If anything I'm probably just reading too much into it and it was probably nothing and Lucas probably didn't even see the _moment_, well not _moment_but you know what I mean, right?" she rambled quickly. "It was nothing" she continued "Nothing, right?" she asked hoping for reassurance.

She didn't get it.

"If you say so" Haley laughed. "You still like him don't you?"

"No" Brooke shook her head furiously "I don't!"

"Brooke"

"I don't!"

"Fine, fine" Haley chuckled and shook her head "But I would stop talking now and turn around if you don't want to be crucified in the next five seconds"

"What?" Brooke asked confused and turned around just in time to see her mother appear in front of her. "Victoria" she sighed. "I thought you weren't coming into work today"

"I wasn't" Victoria replied curtly "But I've changed my mind. Good thing as every time I see you all you seem to be doing is _socialising_. Now come on Brooke, get to work. Chop Chop" she ordered while making her way into the back office.

Brooke groaned and squeezed her fists together in frustration. "Sometimes I really wonder why I put up with her!" she muttered to Haley coldly.

"Me too" Haley agreed with a small laugh. Victoria Davis was certainly a very hard woman to please and she couldn't help but feel sorry for Brooke to have her as a mother.

* * *

"Lucas" Brooke looked up surprised to see Lucas enter her store with a small smile appearing on his face. It had been a couple of weeks since their _almost _almost kiss and although things started off as awkward between them again the next time they met up, it didn't take long for them to get back to normal and be comfortable in each others presence. "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"Well since Grace is at pre-school, and I have the day off, I was thinking maybe I should return the favour of that time you brought me lunch to the garage" Lucas smiled as he approached the counter. "So? What do you say?"

"I say...you don't look as if you have any food with you for me to eat" Brooke smirked motioning to his empty hands.

Lucas chuckled "Well I was thinking more of maybe I should take you somewhere. So? You coming?"

Brooke bit on her bottom lip before letting out a smile "Ah why not. You twisted my arm" she grinned and walked into the back and grabbed her purse "I will be back in a couple of hours or so Millie" she told her assistant who nodded before she left with Lucas.

"So" Brooke smiled as she sat in the passengers seat of his car. "Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"Oh just to that diner" Lucas told her simply.

"Oh, okay" Brooke nodded her head, a little disappointed, the way Lucas was talking was as if he was taking her somewhere different, not to the local diner.

* * *

It didn't take Brooke long to realise that they weren't actually going to the diner like Lucas first told her, him driving in the opposite direction made sure of that. She asked him where they were going but he refused to answer, telling her to just wait until they get there and to be patient.

That was hard on Brooke's part though as she wasn't a very patient person. In fact, they had been driving for about 20 minutes now and the brunette still had absolutely no idea where they were going.

"Lucas" she moaned. "Come on! Tell me"

"No need" Lucas grinned as he turned the car into a muddy pathway and stopped the vehicle. "We are here" he smirked.

"Okay" Brooke frowned and looked out of the window to see nothing but trees. "Is this the part where you kill me so you get to have Grace all to yourself?" she asked jokingly.

"No" Lucas laughed as he opened the door "Come on, get out" he smiled and Brooke reluctantly did as she was told.

"Seriously...where are we?" she asked confused.

Lucas chuckled and walked to the trunk before pulling out a picnic basket "I thought maybe we could have a picnic"

"A picnic?" Brooke asked surprised "Here?" she asked with a confused frown. It wasn't exactly the cleanest of areas.

"Well not exactly _here_" Lucas smiled and laughed at her facial expression "Come on" he told her with a smile and motioned for her to follow him.

"But it's mud!" Brooke gasped and pointed down to her shoes "These boots aren't made for walking in _that_" she told him honestly while pointing to the muddy footpath.

"Fine" Lucas chuckled "Come on, get on my back" he smirked.

"What!" Brooke gasped in surprise "No! No way! What if you drop me!"

"I wont drop you" Lucas reassured her with a smile and pulled her towards him. "Come on, get on my back"

"Fine" Brooke muttered before jumping up and wrapping her arms around his shoulders while Lucas tucked his arms underneath her legs. "You do realise I carry Grace like this sometimes, right?" she told him just as Lucas starting walking through the dirt-path.

"Yes" Lucas smiled "Just proves how much of a baby you are" he chuckled.

"Hey!" Brooke bit back and hit him hard in the shoulder.

"Ouy!" Lucas gasped in pain "You do realise by hitting me I could have dropped you!"

"Well then don't tease me!" Brooke argued back as they continued to walk through the large trees. "Lucas!" she moaned "Where are you taking me?"

"Just wait and see" Lucas smiled "I promise we will be there in another 20 seconds"

"I'm counting" Brooke warned.

"No need" Lucas smiled as he finally reached the end of the dirt path where all the trees stopped. His smile widened when he heard the gasp of surprise come from behind him. "Here we are" he told her and slowly dropped her down to the ground.

"Wow" Brooke looked on surprised. It was just a medium sized circled green field, but it looked so beautiful, there was a small blue pond placed in the middle and the odd picnic table scattered about. She didn't even know this place existed. "This place is..."

"Amazing" Lucas finished off for her with a smile "Come on" he told her grinning and led her to a patch not far away from the pond before placing the blanket he brought onto the soft green grass. "I was thinking of maybe bringing Grace here too, but I wanted to see what you thought first"

"It's beautiful" Brooke admitted as she looked around, still in awe. "She would love it here" she told him with a soft smile. "How did you find this place? I've lived in Tree Hill all my life and I never even noticed it"

"That's probably because you weren't looking" Lucas told her with a small smile. "My Mom used to take me here all the time when I was a kid" he admitted and Brooke's face softened at the mention of his mother as she knew Lucas rarely talked about her. "I used to love it"

"I can see why" Brooke replied with a gentle smile. "Did you stop coming when she died?" she asked softly.

Lucas nodded "Yeah" he confessed "It just wasn't the same...it felt to weird...to _sad_ yet it also made me feel so _angry_ to" he admitted. "But I realise now that just because my Mom took me here doesn't mean I can't take my child either...or _you_"

"Do you miss her?" Brooke asked him sadly, hoping she wasn't overstepping the line. She knew that in High School Lucas never liked to talk about Karen Roe, but he had grown up a lot since then.

"Yeah" Lucas replied "Sometimes. Especially now that I'm living with Keith too, I mean...he was such a big part of my life when I was young, like really young, and so was my Mom, it's strange being close to him again without her being there, it's even worse when Andrew and Lily stay, I mean I love them, they are my cousins, but it brings back so many memories of what Keith used to be like with me"

Brooke looked at the distant and sad look on his face and slowly reached over and took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "It must be hard" she told him gently "But you have Grace now...you aren't alone" she told him softly but also in a firm voice "And..." she trailed nervously as she noticed that Lucas' thumb had started to softly rub up and down her hand in a soothing gesture "And you have me too" she finished and sent him a small smile.

Lucas smiled back, enjoying the feel of having Brooke's hand in his again. The words _'you have me too' _was like sweet music to his ears. "Thank you" he whispered to her softly.

Brooke shrugged as if it was no big deal but kept her hand tucked firmly in his. Dare she say it, but she didn't want to let go.

Now she knew she was in trouble.

* * *

**A/N: I managed to get another chapter posted before I go away! And the day after too! I can't remember the last time I have posted 2 chapters within 2 days! I think those reviews inspired me to do so, so thank you so much! Please review again! I love reading them!**

**And also, I honestly doubt I will have a new chapter posted for One Last Kiss before I go but I will try and get one up after I come back, promise!**

**So, I really hope you liked the chapter! I know it was slightly different than the last but I really wanted to start to pick up the pace of the story.**

**Again, thanks for the reviews and please review this one too! Hey you never know, I may even get another chapter done before the end of the week! I will try anyway!**

**Sara x**


	36. Outside Looking In

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: Well, it feels like I haven't updated in FOREVER! I am so sorry about that, I have just been so busy and haven't even had the chance to catch up on my favorite stories yet! I do feel like this is certainly not the best chapter that I have written, as I have had a little writers block but I'm trying to work through it for this story, so please be patient. Anyway, enough of my boring excuses, I hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

* * *

Lucas smiled as he looked up from the car he was working on to see Brooke slowly walk into the garage with a small smile lingering on her face. He reached over for the towel before wiping his greasy hands as he approached her. "Well well, now what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked grinning. To say things between him and Brooke had been going good in the last couple of weeks would be an understatement, because they seemed to be getting on like a house on fire. There would be a couple of awkward moments here and there but nothing damaging. In fact, things seemed to be getting better and better between them each day and Lucas couldn't be happier.

"Well if you must know, I thought maybe I should grace you with my presence for a little while" Brooke smirked as she approached him "Everybody knows that a day without Brooke Davis is a very boring 24 hours" she teased as she unconsciously eyed him up and down.

"I agree" Lucas smiled back as he leaned back against the car he was working on. "Did Grace get to school okay?" he asked curiously while folding his arms across his chest.

"Yes" Brooke nodded "She loves it there" she said with a smile as she thought about their young daughter. "Anyway, I did actually come here for a reason believe it or not"

"What?" Lucas asked in mock shock "So you didn't just come here to make my day a little less boring?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well, that too" Brooke grinned and let out a small laugh before continuing "But, we are going to Tric tomorrow night and I was wondering if you wanted to come?"

"Who is _we_?" Lucas asked suspiciously.

Brooke bit on her lip for a couple of seconds before answering "Me...Haley, Rachel, Peyton, Millicent, Mouth..." she trailed and then smiled nervously "Nathan..."

"Hm"

Brooke raised her eyebrows expectantly "Is that a yes or a no?" she asked.

"I don't know Brooke" Lucas admitted with a sigh "Spending a night with Nathan is not exactly my idea of fun"

"I know" Brooke sighed "I know that, but...it will be fun, and it's not as if you have to hang out with him, or even talk to him. But he is Grace's uncle and my best friend and I think it would be better for our daughter if you two at least _tried_ to get along. Besides, he is your _brother_!"

"I get what you are trying to say, but Grace rarely ever sees me and Nathan together anyway so I don't see what the big deal is about the two of us getting along" Lucas admitted. The last person he wanted to spend his Friday night with is Nathan Scott.

"Yes okay, but then what about birthdays?" Brooke asked tiredly, she was sick of trying to avoid talking about Nathan in front of Lucas and Lucas in front of Nathan, she just wished the brothers would sort out their differences and just move on! "And also, Christmas is coming up...I just don't want us all to be put in an awkward situation in front of Grace"

Lucas let out a small grunt as he rubbed the back of his neck almost as if he was annoyed "Fine" he gave in "But I don't have to talk to him, okay?"

"Fine" Brooke let out a sigh knowing she wasn't going to get anything better than that. "But at least try? For me?"

"For you" Lucas told her sternly. "But that's it. For you and Grace, not for Nathan and certainly not for me"

"Okay" Brooke nodded and gave him a small smile to lighten up the mood "So I will see you then?"

"Yeah" Lucas agreed as he walked her out back to her car. "Drive safe" he told her softly as he watched her step into her car.

"I will" Brooke replied smiling "And don't forget you have Grace on Saturday"

"Like I would forget" Lucas smiled and shook his head "You know I love having her"

"I know" Brooke told him before closing her door and giving him a wave and a smile before driving off. Lucas stood and watched her leave with a small smile playing on his lips before turning around and walking back into the garage to finish on the car he was working on.

* * *

"So what's the deal with this anyway?" Nathan asked confused as Brooke pretty much dragged him over to an empty booth in Tric. "I mean, it's not like I don't enjoy spending time with you and all but when was the last time we all came out together?"

"My point exactly" Brooke smiled as they both slid into the booth "The old gang haven't hung out in forever! So I figuired why not attempt to get everyone together again? Grace is with Keith for the night so I wont have to worry about her, so we can just have fun" she told him with a grin as she looked down to her watch to see that Lucas still wasn't here.

"But I come to Tric all the time, so does Haley, so do you, so does Millicent and the Rivercourt boys, hell Peyton runs the place! It's not as if we never see each other" Nathan told her still not seeing why Brooke wanted everyone together for one night.

"Yes but not all at the same time! Come on, this will be fun, stop moaning!"

"Fine" Nathan sighed as he looked around the crowded club "Where is everyone anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Peyton is quickly helping out backstage but she wont be long, Haley has gone to the bathroom, Rachel is dancing with some college boys and I don't know where Mouth and Millicent have got too, probably doing something kinky,...oh and there is Skills and Fergie trying to flirt with those girls!" she laughed at the two of them as they unsuccessfully tried to persuade two girls into having a drink with them.

"Right" Nathan chuckled as he shook his head just as Haley and Peyton returned, drinks in hand. Nathan looked between the two of them awkwardly as he watched them sit down across from him. "Hey" he offered lamely.

"Hi" Both Peyton and Haley sent him a mumbled hello and Brooke looked between the three of them confused. Was she missing something here? But before she had the chance to say anything a deep voice turned her train of thoughts.

"Hey Brooke. Long time no see"

"Julian" Brooke smiled widely as she stood up and greeted the taller brunette with a quick hug. "Hey! What are you doing here? I thought you were in L.A!"

"Ah we had a little trouble on the set of the movie so I needed to come back and sort things out" Julian replied with a shrug before sending Haley and Peyton a quick glance and a greeting smile and then turning his attention back to Brooke.

"Oh, everything is okay though right?" Brooke asked nervously, there was a lot of money coming her way from this movie and it would be really useful to her in the future, the last thing she needed was the movie to be cancelled which meant bye bye contract!

"Yeah, yeah" Julian quickly told her with reassurance "Everything is fine now, just a little glitch that they needed my amazing expertise to sort out" he smirked while speaking in his usual smug tone causing Nathan to roll his eyes and let out a scoff.

"Right" Brooke answered with a small laugh.

"Hey Julian, why don't you join us?" Haley asked while smiling.

"Yeah" Peyton agreed "Come sit"

"Sure" Julian grinned as he took a seat across from Brooke while sitting next to Haley, much to Nathan's annoyance. "So guys, hows life?"

* * *

"You be good for your Uncle Keith, okay?" Lucas told Grace while smiling as he leaned down onto his knees to be eye-level with his daughter.

"Yes Daddy" Grace sighed loudly as if Lucas was boring her, causing Lucas to let out a chuckle. "I will be very very good!"

"I know you will princess, just making sure" Lucas smirked as he leaned forward and pecked the small brunette's forehead softly before standing up. "But if you are naughty...Keith will tell me" he warned "And your Mom too"

"I promise I will be good" Grace told him while smiling.

"She's always an angel, aren't you Gracie" Keith smiled while walking into the room, knowing that that was not always the case. After all, she is Brooke Davis' daughter.

"Hm" Lucas laughed as he slipped on his jacket. "Call me or Brooke if theres any trouble, yeah?" he asked but still couldn't help but smile. It was times like these when he felt like a _real_ father. It was hard to imagine that this time last year he was screwing his life up in New York.

"Of course" Keith told him as he opened the front door "Now go on, go! You are already late"

"Yeah I know" Lucas sighed "I'm not exactly looking forward to spending time with you know who" he said while glancing at Grace who was close enough to hear what they were saying.

"I don't blame you" Keith replied "But maybe it's for the best in the long haul, Brooke is right, the two of you need to find some kind of common ground eventually" he advised.

"I guess so" Lucas mumbled before sending Grace a smile "See you in the morning baby girl"

"Bye Daddy" Grace smiled as she watched her father leave and turned to Keith just as he closed the front door. "Where do you keep the ice cream?" she asked with a sneaky smile.

"Ha ha" Keith chuckled as he led the 5 year old into the living room "Nice try kiddo"

* * *

Brooke's eyes lit up when she spotted Lucas pushing his way towards the crowds. She quickly stood up and left the crowded booth without saying a word as she rushed over to her ex-boyfriend. "Lucas!" she grinned as she lightly placed her hand on his arm. "You're late!" she mock scolded him.

"I know" Lucas smiled as he eyed her up and down before unconsciously running his tongue along his bottom lip. She looked gorgeous. "Sorry"

"Yeah well you are here now" Brooke smiled as she wrapped her hand around his wrist and led him back towards the booth everyone else was sitting on.

Nathan looked up with a frown as he noticed Brooke leading Lucas towards them. Brooke had warned him that she may have invited his bastard of a brother but he was still hoping that the asshole would have enough sense not to show up. Obviously he was wrong.

"Come sit" Brooke grinned at Lucas she took her seat back next to Nathan and patted the short space next to her for Lucas to awkwardly sit on. He looked around the very crowded booth and wondered how the hell they all fit around it. From him, on the end sat, Brooke, Nathan, Junk, Fergie, Skills, Mouth, Millicent, Rachel, Peyton, Haley, Julian and then Owen who was sitting across from him. He could see that everyone was shoulder to shoulder though and he couldn't complain about that when he was sitting next to Brooke. He also noticed how her leg was touching his, not on purpose like he would have hoped, but still...he took comfort in the contact.

"You okay?" Brooke whispered into his ear. "You seem a little distant"

"I'm fine" Lucas told her reassuringly and sent her a soft smile. He turned his head back around to see both Julian _and _Owen looking across at him with suspicion and also frowns on their faces. So of course, in true Lucas Scott fashion he sent them a scowl back causing Julian's eyes to flicker away but Owen held his gaze, not backing down. He knew that Brooke and Julian sort of went on a date that one time but he also knew now that there wasn't anything going on between them, and it made him happy to know that this was Brooke's idea. He wondered what the hell Owen's problem was though, even though they met all those years ago and Lucas almost ended up hitting the guy, he didn't think that there was any real bad blood between them, other than the fact that Owen was Chase's best friend and he is Brooke's ex, but even that was an odd reason. He shook his head and broke his gaze away from Owen's deciding that whatever the guys problem was, it wasn't _his_ problem and it would be best to just leave it alone.

"So..." Rachel's voice broke through the looming silence that had entered the group. "This is awkward" she smirked as she looked around the crowded table.

Nathan rolled his eyes and let out a grunt in annoyance at the situation he was put in. The last thing he wanted was to be sitting at a table with Rachel, Peyton _and_ Haley, not to mention the fact that Lucas was there too.

"I should get back to work soon" Owen mumbled trying to make conversation.

"No, it's fine. Chris and Lo can handle the bar tonight" Peyton told him deciding that she needed anyone she could on her side right now. Was it strange that this felt like a silent war zone?

"You guys are all weird" Julian blurted out to nobody in particular.

"Excuse me? And who are you to call us all weird?" Rachel asked in annoyance as she strained her neck to look over at her old college _friend_.

"Why I am just the outsider looking in" Julian smirked back at her. "Come on, let's face it, there is a weird awkward vibe going on here right now and I think I know why"

"Oh, okay then. Well then please, do enlighten us!" Rachel bit back at him, sarcasm dripping heavily from her voice.

"Okay, I will" Julian grinned clearly starting to find the whole situation amusing. "Let's start with the most obvious problem which I see as you" he said pointing his finger in Lucas' direction to cause the blonde to frown. "Here we have the evil ex-boyfriend who abanded his teenage pregnant girlfriend, but is now back trying to do good, only the ex-girlfriend has some _very_ overprotective friends" he continued while pointing at Nathan "Who just happens to be the ex-boyfriends brother, so that's complicated enough in itself, _but _there's also another complication in this already very messy story" he smirked "I think...that Lucas still loves Brooke, I also think that Brooke still loves Lucas"

"Uh hang on!" Brooke cut in not liking the direction that Julian's little theory is leading. "Who are you to tell me how I feel?" she asked annoyed.

"Nobody" Julian grinned at her "Just an outsider looking in and giving my opinion on things" he told her with amused eyes.

"Yeah well your opinion is not wanted here" Lucas glared at him heavily.

"Okay, okay" Julian smirked "Let's move on, it's clear I have touched a sore subject here" he said while glancing between Brooke and Lucas before turning his attention to Nathan. "Ah big Nathan Scott, Tree Hill's very own superstar" he smirked causing Nathan to match Lucas' glare. "And not just on the court I see" he continued "So tell me the list...Peyton and Haley, Rachel? That's a lot of ex-girlfriends here Nate! Should I add Brooke and Millicent onto that list too? Or have they yet to aboard the Nathan Scott love train?" he asked with a chuckle.

"You want to shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you!" Nathan snapped at him angrily "You don't know what you are talking about!"

"Whoa...wait...what's this about Rachel?" Brooke asked confused and glanced over to her redheaded friend who was looking very uncomfortable.

"Nothing!" Nathan hissed at Brooke harshly. "Just butt out!"

"Hey!" Lucas cut in "Don't talk to her like that!"

"I'm pretty sure that Brooke is capable of defending herself" Owen cut in while sending Lucas a heavy glare.

"And who the fuck asked you?" Lucas hit back in a cold tone.

"I still want to know what the hell Julian is talking about!" Brooke jumped back in.

"He knows nothing!" Nathan defended as he glanced at Haley who looked confused, he then looked to Peyton who was frowning and then towards the redhead herself. "Rachel! Tell them!" he hissed.

"Tell us what?" Haley spoke up for the first time.

"Okay, guys maybe we should calm down" Mouth tried to reason as he noticed a few heads turning in their direction but nobody seemed to hear him, or listen in that case!

"Yeah Nathan, what's this about you and Rachel?" Peyton joined in while glaring at her high school boyfriend.

"Nothing!" Nathan argued "Rachel! Tell them _now_!" he shouted at her in frustration.

"It was nothing okay" Rachel sighed defeated causing Nathan to groan loudly.

"What was nothing?" Brooke asked confused but then let out a gasp as she put the pieces together. "You and _Rachel_!" she shrieked loudly.

"It was one time and it meant nothing!" Nathan argued and turned to look at Haley who looked a mixture of different emotions. Confused, angry, hurt...

"When the hell was this?" Peyton gasped wanting to know if it was before or after her and Nathan's one night stand.

"A few weeks ago" Rachel mumbled quietly.

"Rachel!" Nathan practically screamed at her in fury. "We agreed not to tell anyone!"

"Excuse me" Haley muttered as she quickly stood up and hurriedly pushed her way past out of the booth.

"Haley!" Nathan shouted after her as he attempted to stand up but Brooke pushed him back down.

"I'll go!" Brooke hissed at him angrily through gritted teeth. "I think you have done enough tonight already!" she finished before standing up and heading in the direction Haley just ran off to.

Nathan sighed and glared at Julian "Are you happy now?" he asked him angrily.

"Hey, I thought they knew!" Julian defended.

"Tell me what's stopping me from kicking your ass right now?" Nathan challenged.

"Because Julian is leaving" Owen cut in as he stood up and pulled on Julian's arm.

"You're kicking me out?" Julian asked shocked "You have got to be kidding me!"

"I'm not kicking you out. Just advising you to leave" Owen warned seriously and Julian sighed before nodding and standing up.

"If it's any consolation. I am sorry" Julian told Nathan honestly. "I thought they knew"

"Just go!" Rachel cut in and glared at Julian angrily.

"Fine" Julian sighed before walking towards the exit just as Brooke came back.

"Haley left" Brooke told them all while sending icy glances in Nathan and Rachel's direction. "So well done, to the both of you"

"Brooke this is none of your business, so why don't you just butt the fuck out!" Nathan grunted at her annoyed.

"What the hell have I said to you about speaking to her like that?" Lucas cut in angrily and sent his brother a threatening glance.

"No Lucas don't bother" Brooke sighed almost defeated "Come on, I don't want to stay here with him" she told him and took a step back.

Lucas sent one last glare in Nathan's direction before standing up and following Brooke away from the now half empty booth.

Nathan scoffed and shook his head before looking up at Peyton's fierce glare. "What?!" he bit in annoyance.

"You _know_ what!" Peyton hissed at him angrily before standing up and walking away. Nathan sighed and put his head in his hands and groaned, this was turning into a big mess that he was not in the mood to deal with.

* * *

"I can't believe they would both do this to Haley!" Brooke ranted angrily as she and Lucas stood at the bar in Tric. "I mean...Rachel is supposed to be her _friend_. What kind of friend does that? I mean, I know that Haley and Nathan aren't together but there is still _something_ there between them, well at least that's what Haley thought" she muttered still annoyed with Nathan's actions. "I always knew he was an idiot but sleeping with Rachel pretty much confirms it for real"

"Hey" Lucas spoke to her softly as he comfortingly placed his hand on the small of her back and soothingly let his thumb run up and down. "Don't let this get to you, okay? Haley is better off without that jerk anyway"

"But she still loves him and that's why it makes me so angry because I know that Nathan loves her too! I don't understand why he would do this, and it's not exactly like it was just some random girl he met in a bar, it's Rachel!"

Lucas stayed silent as he continued to comfort her. He slowly brought her closer to him so they were touching side by side and wrapped his arm around her waist comfortingly.

"Why can't everything not just stay simple for _one_ night?" Brooke groaned and shook her head.

"Come on" Lucas told her reassuringly "Don't let this get you down, okay? You told me yesterday that you came here to have some fun, so don't let Nathan ruin that" he said to her honestly. "I'm still here, you and I can still enjoy ourselves, right?" he asked smiling.

"Right" Brooke smiled as she looked up at him and realised how close they were standing. "Thank you"

"For what?"

"For making me feel better" Brooke told him honestly "You always seem to be able to do that when nobody else can" she said in a soft tone.

"Yeah well that's returned" Lucas smiled down at her and nervously raised his hand and ran his finger softly down her cheek. "Brooke I..." he trailed but then stopped, instead he slowly lowered his head as Brooke placed her on Lucas' chest just as he moved his lips towards hers to kiss her.

"Well well!"

Both Brooke and Lucas quickly pulled away from each other and turned in the direction of the voice that just interrupted them causing them both to look in shock.

"Lucas Scott" the figure smirked and folded his arms across his chest and Lucas could immediately tell he was drunk. "I never thought I would see you again!"

"What the hell are you doing here Jake?" Lucas asked him still shocked but also angry. Brooke looked between the two boys nervously and bit on her bottom lip as things looked like they were about to get heated. The last thing she needed right now was a ghost from Lucas' path coming back and trying to mess things up.

* * *

**A/N: Well? What did you all think? I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me! They always help me write the next chapters and I could really use some inspiration right now!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciated it and hopefully I can get another update soon!**

**Sara x**


	37. More Effort

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill!**

**A/N: So who wants to be the first person to kill me after not updating for so long? I totally deserve it lol! I am so sorry! But my summer has started and I have just been so busy that I haven't really had time to sit down and write, never mind think about it. I am sorry for the delay, but now that the novelty of the summer (and my money gone) has worn off (and with some of my best friends all being on holiday this week!) I will try and get another chapter posted soon!**

**So, I hope you enjoy the chapter, again it has a couple of time jumps, but I think it's right to do it at this point in the story.**

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here Jake?" Lucas asked angrily as he eyed Jake up and down in disgust, the guy looked like he hadn't showered in days.

"I could ask you the same thing" Jake smirked as he looked from Lucas to Brooke then back to Lucas again. "I thought you did a bunk on this girl back in High School?"

"Shut it" Lucas warned fiercely before turning to face his ex-girlfriend "Brooke...could you give us a moment please?" he spoke quietly to her so only she could hear.

Brooke looked hesitant as she sent a quick glance at Jake before answering. "Do you think that's a good idea?" she asked almost nervously. "I don't want you getting involved in his mess again..." she trailed quietly.

"I won't be" Lucas said softly as he gently placed his hand on her bare arm "Please? I promise this is completely legit"

"Okay" Brooke sighed "Come find me when you're done" she mumbled before turning around and leaving. Lucas watched her leave with his eyes before turning his attention back to his old alliance.

"Why are you here, Jake?" Lucas asked in a cold and bitter tone.

Jake shrugged as he walked to the side of Lucas and leaned against the bar "I wanted a drink, this is a bar, right?" he smirked.

"I meant in Tree Hill" Lucas muttered not in the mood for Jake's smart talk.

Again Jake let out another shrug "Oh you know me, Luke, there's no place like home"

Lucas sighed and looked around the bar before turning back to the smaller brunette "Are you still dealing?" he asked quietly.

Jake let out a sneaky smile and eyed him interestingly. "Why? You want in on it?" he asked while smirking.

Lucas looked at him intently and took a step towards him "What do you think!" he hissed. "I'm clean now, so stay away from me, okay?"

Jake laughed and shook his head in disbelief "Please!" he scoffed "You wont last long!"

"I have a family now, I'm finally getting my life straight! The last thing I need right now is you coming back here and fucking things up for me again!" Lucas accused him angrily.

"What you mean with Brooke Davis?" Jake asked with a dry chuckle. "And how long will it take for you to up and leave again once you get bored?"

"It wasn't like that before!" Lucas hissed at him, trying to defend his past actions. "I have a daughter to think about now and I love both her and Brooke, so Jake, just stay away, okay?" he warned him in a threatening tone.

Jake laughed and shrugged "Sure" he agreed before continuing "But it's a small town" he told Lucas and the blonde frowned wondering if there was any hidden meanings in those words. "So maybe I will see you around" Jake finished before patting Lucas half heartedly on the shoulder and walking to the other side of the bar.

Lucas watched him leave with a glare as he felt his fists clench and unclench by his side. Jake Jagelski could always get under his skin, and this time was no different.

* * *

"I cant believe you told Haley about us!" Nathan accused Rachel angrily as the two stood in a quiet corner of the club. "Are you stupid or something!"

"Oh please!" Rachel scoffed in disbelief "She already knew by the time Julian had finished! I'm not stupid and neither is she!"

"Yeah well you aren't exactly smart either! I thought we agreed to keep what happened between us a secret!" Nathan shouted at her angrily.

"And I did!" Rachel defended while raising her voice.

"Well then how the hell did Julian know? Because I certainly didn't tell him!"

"Well I didn't either!" Rachel argued back. "Look" she sighed as she took a breath to calm herself down. "It doesn't matter how Julian found out, Haley knows now and it's done, there isn't anything we can do about it"

"She doesn't deserve this" Nathan muttered and shook his head annoyed.

"Yeah well life isn't fair, is it?" Rachel shrugged in a defeated tone. "Look, just go and talk to Haley, blame everything on me, say you were drunk and I took advantage, I don't care Nathan, just sort it out with her" she said as the guilt started to kick in.

"Yeah and how is that fair?" Nathan asked while shaking his head, even he wasn't as selfish to shove all the blame on Rachel, after all, it takes two to tango.

"Me and Haley weren't even that close anyway" Rachel told him in a plain voice. "Just go and try and make things right with her, I will take all the blame"

Nathan frowned "I don't know Rachel..."

"Fine" Rachel huffed "I am just trying to help you out here, you know, help you fix things!" she spat at him coldly. "Obviously I shouldn't have bothered!"

Nathan's frown deepened "Why are you getting angry with me?" he asked confused.

"Because your an ass!" Rachel hissed at him angrily before storming past him and back into the crowds of the club. Nathan watched on confused, he could never understand women but Rachel Gatina really was something else.

* * *

"Thanks" Brooke spoke quietly as Lucas handed over Grace's backpack the next day while dropping her off back home after spending the day with his daughter.

Lucas frowned and dug his hands deep into his pockets as he watched Brooke distance herself from him further, he knew it had something to do with Jake being back, when he caught back up with her in Tric last night she barely spoke a word other than that she was tired and was going home, at first he thought it might have had something to do with the whole Nathan/Haley/Rachel situation but when he called her this morning telling her where he was planning on taking Grace, she spoke very plain and distant to him, almost as if she was barely interested. And looking at her now, the way she stood awkwardly at the door and looked around at anything but his eyes, he knew something was definitely up.

"Brooke" Lucas started softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Brooke answered simply and forced a smile, a smile that Lucas knew was fake.

"Don't lie to me, Brooke" Lucas sighed "You have been acting distant with me since Tric last night, what is it? Is it because Jake is back?"

"I told you Lucas, nothing is wrong with me" Brooke bit back more firmly this time and looked at Lucas heavily "Now excuse me but I have things I have to be getting on with, thanks for dropping Grace back home" she muttered and went to shut the door but Lucas' hand quickly stopped it and held onto it tight much to Brooke's annoyance. "Lucas!" she groaned.

Lucas however ignored her and stepped inside blocking the doorway, causing Brooke to take a step back and look at him frustratingly. "Talk to me!" he told her sternly.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Brooke argued back.

"Brooke!" Lucas groaned and clenched his jaw with frustration. "Look, if you think that Jake being back is going to change things then you are wrong, okay? I have warned him to stay away and he will"

Brooke eyed him up and down suspiciously. "So why did you want to speak to him alone?" she questioned as she folded her arms across her chest and looked at him expectantly. "Because you are obviously hiding something, what is it? Drugs?"

"Brooke, I'm not, I swear!" Lucas defended and started to get angry at Brooke's lack of trust in him. "I thought we were past all this! I told you I am done with all that stuff!"

"Yeah well it's not like you have never let me down before, is it!" she hissed at him, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Lucas closed his eyes tight before reopening them and looked at Brooke sternly. "Brooke I promise you, nothing like that is going on! I thought you trusted me! Why are you being like this? Bringing up the past!"

Brooke however didn't answer as she stood her ground and looked at Lucas with a small glare on her face.

"Fine" Lucas muttered and let out a bitter laugh in disbelief "You don't trust me, great! I guess I will see you around" he scoffed and shook his head before turning around and leaving the house, slamming the door angrily on his way out.

Brooke clenched her eyes shut and groaned frustratingly, the guilt of the argument slowly creeping back to her, she knew she was being harsh, but Lucas Scott's life had always been unpredictable, and with Jake returning after they were starting to get extremely close again knocked her for six, and now she just didn't know what to do about it, it wasn't High School anymore, they were adults and she had Grace to think about first, and if there was any chance of Jake being in Lucas' life again, Brooke didn't want her daughter to be around that.

* * *

"Here" Keith walked into his office and handed Lucas a small piece of paper to where his nephew was sitting absentmindedly on the small sofa that was placed in the corner of the room.

"What's this?" Lucas asked confused after snapping out of his thoughts, he couldn't believe that Brooke thought he was involved with Jake again, he thought she was starting to trust him again but obviously he was wrong and now he felt that all the progress they had made since telling Grace his true identity was all erased and now they were back to square one. It had been a few days since their argument, and he hadn't really talked to Brooke, except for when he was picking up or dropping off Grace, and even those conversations were awkward and short.

"It's the area code of a pick up. I figuired you might want to get out of the garage since you don't seem to be doing any work around here anyway" Keith told him with a small frown gracing his lips.

"Sorry" Lucas mumbled as he stood up and looked down to the sheet before looking back up at Keith. "I'm on it" he told him before heading out of the office.

"Oh and Lucas!" Keith shouted after him as he followed his nephew outside.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked as he opened the door to the pickup truck.

"Try not to scare the poor customer away with that permanent frown that has been placed on your face lately, please" Keith pleaded somewhat jokingly but also a warning that Lucas better concentrate on the job.

"Of course not" Lucas replied before stepping into the truck and pulling away, trying to push his thoughts of Brooke out of his mind.

* * *

"Oh thank god you are here!"

Lucas stepped out of his truck to see a tall girl with light brown hair running towards him, he could clearly see that she was in some sort of distress over the situation with her car. "Well that's my job" he smiled as he walked alongside her towards the car. "So, do you know what the problem is?" he asked curiously.

"No!" The girl answered quickly and Lucas could sense the panic in her voice "I don't know! I've just got a new job and I only started yesterday, so here I am driving through this strange town in this car I only bought from this guy the other week and suddenly smoke comes from the engine! I didn't know what to do so I just pulled over, then I found your number in the dashboard, probably from the previous owner, oh my god, my new boss is going to kill me!"

"It's okay" Lucas smiled "Calm down" he told her smoothly before opening up the hood "Let me take a look"

"Thank you!" the girl gushed as she watched Lucas look into the hood. "I don't even know where I am! I've only lived in Tree Hill for a week!"

"It won't take you long to get used to the place" Lucas told her reassuringly as he continued to take a look at the car "It's a pretty small town"

"Yeah so I've been told" the girl sighed "I'm from New York so it's a huge difference! I'm trying to adjust to it all"

"Yeah don't I know it" Lucas agreed while keeping his eyes fixed down into the car.

"Are you from New York too?" the girl asked surprised.

"No I'm from Tree Hill, but I did live in New York for a while not so long ago" Lucas commented before looking up "It looks like it's your radiator" he told her "It's overheated but there seems to be some damage there too, but that was probably from the previous owner"

"Oh" the girl mumbled "So what does that mean?"

"Well, I'm afraid you wont be driving it today" Lucas told her with a sympathetic smile "I'm gonna have to take it back into the garage"

"Great!" the girl muttered in frustration "That is all I need!"

Lucas smiled at her as he closed the hood of the car "Have you got someone to come and pick you up or do you need a ride?" he asked.

"A ride please if you don't mind, I don't really know anyone around here yet" the girl admitted with a shy smile.

"That's okay" Lucas replied with a grin "Just wait in the truck while I tow your car to the back and I will take you"

"Thank you so much" the girl smiled at him softly.

"Don't thank me" Lucas laughed "It's my job"

"Hey, what's your name? If I'm getting a ride from a stranger I'm going to have to at least know your name" she smirked.

"Lucas" the blonde smiled as he held his hand out.

"Nice to meet you Lucas" she grinned back as she shook his outstretched hand "I'm Lindsay"

* * *

"Thanks Brooke" Haley smiled as she took the ice cream Brooke handed her before letting her into her apartment, Grace down below by her side. "Hey Gracie" she smiled as she bent down and lifted Grace into her arms "Are you looking forward to our girls night?" she asked.

"Yes" Grace answered with a grin "Mommy says all we are gonna do is eat pizza and ice cream and watch lots and lots of movies!" she spoke with eager excitement escaping from her voice.

"Well that's the plan" Haley smiled before looking over at Brooke "Where's Peyton?" she asked curiously as she placed Grace down who ran straight towards the TV.

"She said she wont be long, she had to pick up something from work" Brooke answered as she placed her bag onto the bar in the kitchen. "How you doing?"

"Good" Haley forced a smile "You?"

"Yeah, good" Brooke repeated and just like Haley, forced a smile. "So...have you spoken to Nathan?"

"He came round the other day, we talked a little" Haley confessed "He apologised for what happened with Rachel, told me it was just one time and they were both drunk and stupid" she sighed "I mean...I can't hold it against him can I? It's not like we were together or anything"

"Yeah but it still must hurt" Brooke replied with a sad smile. "I know my best friend isn't exactly the smartest guy but sleeping with Rachel was just stupid"

"Well it's done now" Haley sighed "What about you? You and Lucas still not speaking?"

Brooke shook her head and sent a quick glance towards her daughter before looking back at Haley. "No" she sighed "It's my fault, I shouldn't have accused him the way I did, but with Jake being back...it just brought back so many memories of him and it knocked me a bit"

"It reminded you of how Lucas used to be?" Haley asked.

"Yeah I guess so, and although I loved that Lucas, and I loved him a _lot_, that Lucas was the one who left me pregnant" Brooke mumbled.

Haley smiled as she stood up "Hey" she warned "That's enough boy talk! Come on, let's go and find a DVD to watch" she smiled and grabbed Brooke's hand before leading her over to where Grace was sitting on the couch.

* * *

"Hey" Lucas smiled as he jumped into the truck. "Sorry if I took long"

"It's fine" Lindsay smiled and looked down to the photo she held in her hand that she found on top of the dashboard "Is she your daughter?" she asked curiously as she held up the photo for Lucas to see.

"Yeah" Lucas grinned proudly. "That's my baby girl"

"She's beautiful" Lindsay gushed "How old is she?"

"Five years old" Lucas smiled.

"She has your eyes" she commented.

"She does" Lucas agreed "But everything else is her mother" he smiled.

"Are you guys together?" Lindsay asked curiously and noticed that Lucas didn't answer straight away "God I'm sorry, I'm being nosy! I should really mind my own business, sorry" she rambled.

"It's okay" Lucas cut her off with a smile "And to answer your question, no, we aren't together"

"Oh, that's a shame" Lindsay send him a small smile. "But at least you have this cute kid, huh?"

"Yeah" Lucas smiled.

"So, you mentioned before that you used to live in New York for a little while? What brought you there?" Lindsay asked curiously.

"Ah..." Lucas trailed as he let out a little cringe.

"Am I asking you too many questions? Because I do that sometimes, I'm sorry"

"It's not that" Lucas smiled "It's just a bit of a long story..." he mumbled "And it's not really something I'm proud of"

"Well we all have those" Lindsay agreed just as Lucas pulled up outside the garage.

"Here we are" Lucas said as he stopped the truck and they both stepped outside. "It's actually closing time now, so I'm not going to be able to work on the car tonight but if you give me your number, I can work on it tomorrow and I shall give you a call when it's done?"

"Yeah I guess that sounds good" Lindsay sighed as she handed him over his number. "Do you have any idea how to get to Larbet Drive from here?" she asked with a small smile. "My boss thankfully agreed to give me the evening off, and well, I don't really know how to get back to my house from anywhere else but work yet"

Lucas chuckled "If you give me 10 minutes while I lock up, I will give you a ride on my way home" he told her with a smile.

"Are you sure? You have helped me enough already, you don't have to"

"It's fine" Lucas smiled "Honestly" he told her reassuringly.

"Okay, thank you" Lindsay grinned as she watched him unload her car into the garage.

* * *

"James Ashcroft" Brooke smiled dreamingly as she licked the chocolate ice cream from her spoon.

"Ew! Seriously?" Peyton gasped in surprise, and also pulled a very disgusted face.

"What!" Brooke defended with a smile "He was cute, okay!" she giggled.

"Wait...why does that name sound so familiar?" Haley asked with a grin.

"He went to Tree Hill High, he was in our lab class in senior year, long black hair, a _lot_ of acne and some very _very_ ugly eyebrows!" Peyton giggled.

"James Ashcroft!" Haley gasped after remembering who he was now "Seriously Brooke? Him?" she asked with a laugh.

"Hey! In my defence, it was before High School and he was kinda cute then...besides, I was like 12 or something..." Brooke trailed with an embarrassed smile. "And why are we picking on me! Peyton, who was your first kiss then?" she asked before digging her spoon back into her ice cream.

Peyton cringed slightly and sent a short glance towards Haley "Mine was actually Nathan..." she said unsure how the mention of the male brunette would affect the light mood that they all were in. Haley however rolled her eyes and waved for her to continue with a smile on her face, showing Peyton that she was fine.

"Nathan?" Brooke's eyebrows raised in surprise "So your telling me you hadn't kissed a single guy before you started dating him?"

"Yes...well no" Peyton shrugged "I kissed Nathan for the first time long before I started dating him"

"Really! How did I not know about this?" Brooke laughed.

"I don't know, how did I not know about James Ashcroft?" Peyton smirked.

"Shut up!" Brooke gasped with a grin as she reached out and slapped Peyton on the shoulder.

"Mommy!" Grace's voice called over the group as she raised from the couch and made her way over to the table where the young adults were sitting.

"Yes baby?" Brooke asked with a smile.

"Who is James Ashcroft?" she asked curiously causing both Peyton and Haley to break out into laughter.

"Oh, he is nobody" Brooke smiled down at her little girl before sending a glare over to her two best friends.

"Well then why did you kiss him?" Grace asked confused.

"Ah you will understand someday princess" Brooke laughed as she lifted her daughter onto her knee.

"And if you are anything like your mother, it wont be too long until you do!" Peyton teased causing Grace to look up at her Mom confused.

"Ignore Peyton baby, she has had one too many glasses of wine!" Brooke smirked.

* * *

"Now please don't tell me you are having more car troubles?" Lucas asked with a smile as he watched Lindsay walk into the garage. It had been nearly two weeks since he first fixed her car and since then she had been making regular appearances, they have even hung out at Tric a couple of times and Lindsay being grateful for the blonde showing her around Tree Hill and being one of her only friends here so far the two had spent quite a lot of time together in the short time since they met.

"No, no" Lindsay grinned as she approached him "Not this time"

"So, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go out tonight?" Lindsay asked with a shy smile but it fell when she saw the smile on Lucas fall. "Or maybe not..."

"Sorry" Lucas cringed "It's not that I don't want to!" he quickly defended after he noticed the sudden change in her mood "But I have Grace tonight, and I haven't seen her in a couple of days so..."

"No it's okay" Lindsay smiled "It's okay, your daughter comes first I understand, maybe another time?"

"Yeah definitely!" Lucas told her reassuringly with a smile "We can go to Tric or something"

"Sounds good to me" Lindsay smiled as she looked down at her watch "Anyway, I better be going...shopping awaits" she grinned.

"Of course" Lucas smiled as he watched her go.

"I will call you?" Lindsay asked while turning around to face him once more

"Sure" Lucas agreed before turning around to work on the car he was looking at. Lindsay stood for a couple more seconds watching him before letting out a sigh and stepping into her car.

* * *

"Well well" Jake smirked as he walked into the Clothes over Bro's store. "Who knew that Queen B Brooke Davis would grow up into this hot ass sexy woman as well as owning her own clothing store" he smiled at her smugly "I always thought you would marry some rich old guy before growing extremely fat"

"Funny" Brooke scoffed disgustedly at him and rolled her eyes "What are you doing here, creep?" she asked in a cold tone.

"Do you talk to all your customers like that?" Jake asked amused.

"No...just the jackass ones"

"How original" Jake smirked.

"Seriously, what do you want?" Brooke asked annoyed as she tapped the counter impatiently.

"Oh nothing" Jake smiled "I was just passing by and I thought I would drop in to see how my old school friend was doing"

Brooke glared at him "Okay, well we were never friends so you can leave now"

Jake chuckled amused "You need to lighten up B, what's up? Lucas dumped your ass again?"

"Your words don't affect me, Jake, so just go before I kick you out myself"

Jake laughed and shook his head just as a customers voice broke into the conversation.

"Hey..." Lindsay approached the duo "I was just wondering, do you have this dress in blue?" she asked.

Brooke smiled at her as Lindsay handed the dress over to her "Yeah I think so, let me go check in the back" she told her with a smile before turning back to Jake "If you aren't gone before I get back I will sit on you with my fat ass and get my rich old husband to kill you" she told him in a serious tone and flashed one of her famous fake Brooke Davis smiles at him.

"Haha" Jake chuckled as he took a step back away from the bar "Okay" he laughed before leaving.

"He didn't seem very welcome" Lindsay commented just as Brooke returned from the back of the store, new dress in hand.

Brooke rolled her eyes to herself "That's because he's not"

"Ex-boyfriend?" Lindsay asked with a smile as Brooke passed her back the dress.

Brooke laughed dryly and shook her head "No...no way" she chuckled "I would like to think I could do better than that!"

Lindsay laughed and nodded with agreement with her "Thanks for changing the dress"

"No problem" Brooke smiled "So what's it for? Special occasion?" she asked curiously. She always liked to make an extra effort with her customers, talk to them and make them feel welcome, not just because she was interested in her business sales but because it was just polite.

"Not really" Lindsay admitted "There's this guy actually..." she smiled shyly.

"Ah!" Brooke smiled "A guy, is he cute?" she asked while smirking.

"Oh yeah" Lindsay grinned "He is gorgeous!"

"And I'm guessing he is taking you out on a date?"

"Well not yet" Lindsay admitted "But we will be, and when I saw this dress I just had to buy it!"

"Of course" Brooke agreed "When you wear this, I'm sure he wont be able to take his eyes off you!" she smiled.

"Thank you" Lindsay grinned "He seems a little distant...I don't know, it's just been kinda hard in getting him to notice me, you know?"

"Yeah well he is a guy" Brooke smiled "That's what they are like, I am sure when he sees you in this he will be chasing you like you wouldn't believe"

"I hope so" Lindsay smiled "Thank you..."

"Brooke" the brunette smiled as she extended her hand out "Brooke Davis"

Lindsay smiled as she shook her hand, noticing that somehow that name sounded familiar "Lindsay Strauss"

* * *

"Hey baby girl why don't you go into the kitchen and ask Uncle Keith to order us a pizza?" Lucas asked Grace with a smile and the 5 year old eagerly nodded her head before running off in search of her uncle. "Hi" Lucas smiled as he turned to face Brooke. "It feels like I haven't seen you in ages" he admitted "I kinda missed you..."

Brooke smiled at him softly "I'm sorry for acting like a bitch to you...after Jake came back...I was just scared"

"I know" Lucas smiled back "And I have been keeping my distance from you lately too...I just...I wanted to give you some space, you know?"

"Yeah" Brooke nodded "And by the way...I missed you too" she admitted quietly.

Lucas smiled as he reached over and took a hold of Brooke's hand. "Why don't we both make more of an effort from now on?"

"That sounds good to me" Brooke smiled. "But I think your daughter may need more of your attention right now" she laughed as she heard their child's loud voice echo into the hall asking her father to hurry up and pick what pizza he wants.

"I will drop her off tomorrow" Lucas told her softly "Then maybe we can talk or something?"

"Yeah" Brooke agreed "Definitely" she smiled before leaning forward and kissing his cheek lightly "See you tomorrow" she finished before leaving.

Lucas smiled as he watched her from the door until her car was nowhere in sight, after more weeks of awkwardness and short conversations, he hoped that after tomorrow things will finally be okay between the two of them, and this time for good.

* * *

**A/N: If I have any readers left, please review and let me know! :) Again, I apologise for this extremely long delay in updating this story, I am hoping that the next chapter wont take as long to update, so I will make sure I put in more effort! **

**Thanks everyone, and please review!**

**Sara x**


	38. Truce

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill**

**A/N: So I didn't take too long updating this time did I? I tried my best to write this in a busy week so I hope it's okay. **

* * *

"So..." Brooke started as she sat across from Nathan in his office at Tree Hill High. "Tell me something" she mused as she looked around his office with her eyes.

"Tell you what?" Nathan asked confused as he glanced across the desk and eyed his best friend suspiciously. "Don't tell me you are here for gossip" he moaned.

"No!" Brooke defended quickly, a little too quickly for Nathan's liking. "I'm not!" she repeated "I just want to know what's going on with you right now..."

"There's nothing going on" Nathan answered simply.

"Nothing?" Brooke questioned with a raised eyebrow, clearly not convinced.

"Nope"

"Nate"

"Brooke"

"Tell me!" Brooke moaned.

"There's nothing to tell!" Nathan defended and raised his voice a little causing Brooke to send him a pout "Brooke, seriously...there is nothing going on"

"Okay..." Brooke sighed "So there's nothing going on between you and Rachel?" she asked.

"No" Nathan muttered "Been there, and done that. Trust me, Rachel was just a stupid one night stand that didn't really mean anything"

"So what have you been doing? You seem to be keeping your distance from us lately..."

"On your orders" Nathan pointed out with a frown "The whole Rachel and Haley thing hasn't exactly gone down well with you...which is a little hypocritical of you, don't you think?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Brooke asked confused and a little taken back by his accusing tone.

"Well just take a look at your past boyfriends Brooke, they don't exactly have a good record do they, I mean, Felix Taggaro? Seriously!" Nathan scoffed.

"I was in High School!" Brooke defended with a gasp "And it barely lasted a month no thanks to you!"

"Okay, _Lucas_" Nathan smirked.

Brooke glared at him "That was different and you know it!" she hissed angrily.

Nathan chuckled and shook his head "Fine, and what about Chase?"

"What about him?"

"Well...you guys were together for a long time, Brooke" Nathan pointed out "The guy was a jerk but you put up with it, in fact, I am surprised that you guys lasted as long as you did"

"Chase was different" Brooke frowned.

"What, like Lucas Scott different?"

"No not that kind of different" Brooke shook her head "Just...different"

"Do you think about him?" Nathan asked with an amused smile.

"No" Brooke glared at him "Why are you even asking me all of this? Chase and I were over for a long time before we even broke up"

"I'm just curious, Brooke. I mean...you go on at me for making bad decisions with Peyton or Haley or...Rachel, yet, your relationships haven't exactly been successful have they? Here you are sitting all single and dateless" he smirked.

"You're an ass" Brooke glared at him.

Nathan shrugged "I'm just giving it back" he said before sending her a small smile. "So why don't we call a truce on the whole relationship advice thing?"

Brooke looked at him for a few seconds before letting a small smile creep onto her face "Okay" she agreed and reached her hand out for Nathan to shake "Truce"

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" Grace said as Lucas continued to push her on the swing in the park.

"You can ask me anything princess" Lucas smiled as he held onto the swing once he caught it causing it to come to a halt. "What is it?" he asked softly as he walked in front and leaned down in front of his daughter.

"Are you and my Mommy ever going to get married?" Grace asked curiously.

Lucas sighed and sent the five year old a small smile. "I don't know baby girl" he admitted honestly "Maybe we will someday, but maybe we wont. I just don't know"

Grace frowned confused "Why not? Do you not want to marry my Mommy?" she asked sadly.

"No, no" Lucas quickly defended "Of course I want to marry your Mom, she is beautiful and sweet and kind and she's the best woman in the world, well...maybe second best" he winked at her causing Grace to let out a small giggle. "But...not all Mom's and Dad's get married, Grace, and I think you will understand that when you get older"

"Why not?" Grace questioned again.

"Because that's just what happens sometimes and it's life, which is why you should be glad that your still a kid because boy do things get complicated when your an adult" he smirked.

"That's what Mom always says" Grace smiled "I think you should get married, I think she likes you"

Lucas chuckled softly before giving her a quick peck on the forehead "You're too clever for your own good" he teased "Now come on, I thought we were in the middle of a record here on high you would swing" he smiled before standing up and returning to his place behind the swing as he started to push her again.

* * *

"Okay, seriously! Are you stalking me or something?" Brooke asked annoyed as she walked through Tree Hill's mall, Jake walking quickly to her side.

"You aint that special darling" Jake smirked as he walked by her side, Brooke speeding up her walk clearly trying to get away from him.

"Well can you leave me alone then?" Brooke muttered not in the mood to deal with his annoying ass today. Work was already kicking _her_ ass.

"And where's the fun in that, B?" Jake asked with a laugh "It's not my fault I enjoy your company"

"If you don't leave me alone in 5 seconds I am going to scream" she threatened as she came to a halt and turned to face her old classmate. "I'm being serious" she warned.

"Come on" Jake smiled "I'm a changed man, B, I promise"

Brooke scoffed "3..."

Jake chuckled "Brookie"

"2..."

"Just have a coffee with me"

"1..." Brooke warned.

"Fine" Jake sighed "Don't hang with me, it's your loss"

"Trust me, it's not" Brooke sent him a bitter smile before turning to walk away.

"Oh and Brooke!" Jake shouted after her.

Brooke grunted before reluctantly turning around.

"Tell Lucas I said hello" Jake smirked causing Brooke to glare at him while giving him the middle finger before turning around annoyed. "Bye!" Jake chuckled as he watched her go out of sight.

* * *

"Lucas!"

Lucas turned around, Grace holding his hand down by his side and smiled as he saw Lindsey quickly approach them. "Oh hey Lindsey" he greeted.

"Hey" she grinned before looking down at Grace who stood shyly by her father side "And you must be Grace" she smiled "Nice to meet you, I'm Lindsey"

Grace eyed her suspiciously before looking up at Lucas nervously. "It's okay baby" Lucas reassured her "Lindsey is a friend" Grace didn't reply as she spoke a quiet hello to the taller woman. "She can be a little shy sometimes" he told Lindsey with a smile. "But she's normally very loud" he laughed.

"I'm just glad that I finally get to meet her in the flesh, I have heard all sorts of stories from your Daddy about you" Lindsey looked down at Grace while grinning.

"What kind of stories?" Grace asked confused.

"All good ones" Lindsey smiled before turning her attention back to Lucas. "So...I thought you were going to call me, and well...it's been over a week" she smiled nervously.

"I was?" Lucas asked slightly bemused "Because I am pretty sure you said you would call me..."

"Right" Lindsey nodded "Well, I figured since you were the guy..."

"Oh" Lucas nodded and sent a short glance down to his daughter "You see, the thing is..." he started unsure of what to say to the girl without giving out the wrong idea "I have been kinda busy lately with Grace, her Mom has this big fashion deal or something coming up and she's been extra busy so I've been looking after her a lot"

"Really? That doesn't really seem that fair on you..." Lindsey trailed.

"What no!" Lucas quickly defended with a smile "I love it" he admitted.

Lindsey nodded before turning the conversation slightly "Well...are you free on Friday night?" she asked him curiously.

"Uh I don't know yet" Lucas replied a little confused "Why?"

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a drink or something?" Lindsey asked with a nervous smile "You don't have to...I just thought it would be nice"

"Uh, yeah okay" Lucas shrugged "Sure"

"Great!" Lindsey grinned widely "Well I will call you, see you Friday, bye Grace" she waved before turning around and leaving.

"Bye..." Lucas frowned confused before turning to face his daughter and lifting her up into his arms "Come on then princess, I promised you an ice cream" he smirked as he tossed her into the air causing Grace to let out a loud giggle.

* * *

"Oh I missed you!" Brooke gushed as she lifted Grace into her arms and repeatedly kissed her on her cheek causing Grace to groan and pull her head back slightly. "What?" Brooke asked in fake hurt "You didn't miss me?"

"I've only been gone for one night Mommy" Grace told her confused.

"One night too many" Brooke smirked as she placed her daughter back on the floor and turned her attention to Lucas "You want to stay for a drink or something?" she asked with a smile "I think I need one after the day I have had"

"Want to talk about it?" Lucas asked with a smile as the two followed Grace into the living room. "We could swap stories, I mean, I have had a pretty rough day myself"

"Really?" Brooke asked surprised as the two sat down on the coach, Grace already sitting on the floor watching TV. "At the park?" she asked confused.

"Yup" Lucas told her with a straight face "Swings and slides can be pretty traumatising, and that's not to mention the dreaded monkey bars" he smirked "I mean, really, how do people think that's a safe place to take their kids? My heart stopped over a dozen times chasing Gracie around and making sure she wouldn't fall off anything!"

Brooke let out a small laugh "I know that feeling"

"So...now that my traumatic event has been discussed, let's move onto you" Lucas smirked and reached his hand out to Brooke's arm "Come on" he urged "Tell me all about it"

"I don't think it can top the monkey bars" Brooke smiled.

"Have a try" Lucas smirked.

"Okay" Brooke sighed "Just work, you know, it's been a bit much lately"

"Take a vacation" Lucas shrugged "You're the boss"

"Exactly" Brooke muttered "I _am _the boss which means I can't just take off whenever I want"

"Tell me something, Brooke, when was the last time you had a vacation?"

"I took the weekend off a few weeks ago" Brooke shrugged.

"Okay" Lucas smiled "Now, tell me when was the last time you took a _real_ vacation"

Brooke frowned "I don't know..." she mumbled "A while ago?"

Lucas chuckled and shook his head "You work too hard Brooke Davis" he told her before standing up "Come on, we are going out"

"What?" Brooke asked confused "Where?"

Lucas shrugged "Somewhere to eat, somewhere _fun_"

"Oh Lucas I don't know" Brooke sighed "I'm tired and I think I would rather just chill at home tonight" she admitted.

"Well that's too bad because I'm not taking no for an answer" Lucas grinned "Gracie get your shoes on baby, we are going out"

"Where?" the little girl asked excitedly.

"Hm...Charlotte" Lucas smiled.

"Charlotte! Lucas are you kidding me! It's six thirty! We do not have time to go to Charlotte" Brooke argued.

"Oh come on" Lucas smiled "Be a little adventurous" he said while grabbing her hand and leading her out into the hall where Grace was waiting for them. "Come on"

"You're crazy" Brooke pointed out.

"And if I remember correctly, you used to be too" Lucas teased. "Just get in the car, Brooke"

"Urgh!" Brooke groaned "Fine!" she gave in with a small smile. "But if we go there and find nowhere open that is suitable for a 5 year old girl, I blame you!"

"Fine with me" Lucas smirked as he grabbed his car keys and led them out the house.

* * *

"Well this was successful" Brooke muttered while rolling her eyes as she looked at her daughter who was sleeping deeply in the back seat of Lucas' car. "I knew this was a bad idea"

Lucas chuckled "Hey now, it's not all bad" he smiled "We had a good road trip..."

"Hm, that's if you call singing Hannah Montana songs none stop as good" Brooke sighed "I don't think I will ever be able to listen to the Hoedown Throwdown again without losing my sanity"

"Well I had fun" Lucas smiled.

"How could you have possibly had fun?" Brooke asked slightly amused "We have only just got here and sleeping beauty back there doesn't seem to be waking up anytime soon, not to mention the fact that I am _starving_"

"Well lets go and find some place to eat" Lucas suggested.

"Don't you think it's a bit late for a 5 year old? I don't even know why I agreed to this" Brooke muttered.

"Oh come on, I'm sure there will be a McDonald's around here somewhere"

"Great! Fast food! My favorite" Brooke smiled sarcastically.

"Why don't we stay the night" Lucas offered "That way, Gracie will have a bed to sleep in, you will have some awesome room service and we can hang out"

Brooke frowned slightly "Was that the plan all along?"

"Nah not really" Lucas smiled "Although now that I think about it, it is a pretty kick ass idea. You need a break from the store, I want to spend time with you, it's a win win situation, we could make a little mini vacation out of it"

"Except you have a job, and Grace has school, and we both have responsibilities back in Tree Hill, we can't just run off to Charlotte whenever we feel like it" Brooke sighed.

"I don't have to be back at the garage until Wednesday, we can stay in a hotel tonight, spend the day here tomorrow and travel back to Tree Hill on the tomorrow night" Lucas told her urging her decision "Come on Brooke, live a little..."

"I don't know Lucas..."

"Come on" Lucas smiled "I know you will enjoy it"

"Urgh" Brooke groaned "Fine!" she gave in. _Again_.

"Great!" Lucas grinned widely as he started up the car again "I saw a hotel that looked pretty good about five minutes back, we can stay there" he told her as he turned the car round in a U-turn.

"Great" Brooke repeated his words with less enthusiasm. As appealing as spending the night with Lucas in a hotel room was, it also scared the crap out of her.

* * *

Brooke smiled softly to herself as she leaned back up after tucking her daughter in bed in their hotel room. This trip seemed a bit of a waste so far, but she was looking forward to spending the day with Grace _and_ Lucas tomorrow, a situation that hasn't happened in a while. "Sweet dreams" she whispered before turning around and leaving the small room.

"She is out like a light" Brooke called out as she walked through the short hall into the living area and was stunned by what she saw. "Lucas?" she questioned confused as she looked around the room to see candles lit and the couch pushed back.

"Hey" Lucas smiled softly as he approached her, a bottle of wine in his hand. "Come sit" he ushered her over to the small blanket that was placed on the floor.

"What is this?" Brooke asked nervously as she slowly leaned down onto her knees, a little shocked at what seemed to be happening.

"I just wanted to show you how much I have missed you" Lucas smiled as he poured her a glass of wine. "How much I still want to fight for you like I said I would"

"How did you even manage to do all of this?" Brooke asked baffled as she looked around the room, dozens of candles lit everywhere. Lucas shrugged with a small smile gracing his lips and Brooke's jaw almost dropped with shock "Did you plan all this in advance?" she asked surprised "The trip? This hotel..."

Again Lucas shrugged "Maybe" he smiled at Brooke's frown as she tried to urge him to explain. "Okay, fine yeah" he grinned "Although I have to admit, I thought it would be a little harder to try and persuade you to come to Charlotte on such short notice like that"

Brooke smiled and shook her head "You're crazy" she told him with a grin.

"Good crazy?" Lucas asked while smirking.

"Hm" Brooke mused mockingly "I guess so"

"And would you think that maybe this was crazy?" Lucas spoke quietly as he slowly leaned forward. Brooke's breath hitched in her throat as Lucas let his fingers run down her cheek gently before he finally placed his lips softly against hers. Brooke placed her hand behind his head as she leaned closer into him while kissing him back.

Brooke smiled as she slowly pulled away "Definitely a crazy move" she whispered causing Lucas to grin widely. "But a good one" she continued before attaching her lips back against his, only more forceful this time.

Lucas leaned back before falling back onto the blanket, Brooke falling on top of him, neither of them ready to break the kiss. Lucas' hands travelled down Brooke's back before holding onto her waist.

Brooke ran her hand down his chest quickly and tugged onto the bottom of his shirt, urging him to take it off however Lucas surprised her by grabbing onto her hands and pulling away from her. "What's wrong?" she asked confused as she looked at him intently.

"Brooke" Lucas stuttered out of breath as he slowly sat up, Brooke also moving off him as he did so. "I want this so bad" he told her honestly when he noticed the frown appear on the brunettes lips.

"Well then come on!" Brooke urged as she tried to kiss him again but Lucas shook his head stopping her. "Lucas I-" she started but the blonde cut her off.

"Brooke" He started again "I love you" he told her softly and Brooke turned her head away slightly "And I want to be with you...but I don't want to rush this, I want this to be more than sex"

Brooke didn't say anything as she slowly stood up and grabbed her glass and bottle of wine before walking into the kitchen. Lucas sighed loudly before quickly standing up and following her. "Brooke!" he shouted at her. "Why are you mad with me?" he asked confused.

"Are you serious?" Brooke asked him shocked and glared at him heavily "You do all _this_ and when I give myself up to you, you turn me down! How the hell do you think that makes me feel, Lucas?" she asked angrily.

"I'm sorry!" Lucas quickly defended, not wanting things to happen like this. "I just didn't want to rush you, I thought I was doing the right thing, Brooke, believe me when I tell you that I _want_ you, but I want _all_ of you, not just your body!"

Brooke turned her head and looked away as she stubbornly took a sip from her wine.

"Brooke please" Lucas spoke to her pleadingly as he reached out and grabbed her hand, forcing her to turn around to face him. "Tell me you want to be with me" he pleaded "For real...me and you as a couple, like a family"

Brooke stayed silent as she looked anywhere but his eyes.

Lucas let out a dry laugh and shook his head disappointingly as he dropped her hand and took a step back "I see" he muttered coldly before leaving the room.

Brooke watched him go stunned and slowly raised her shaking hand to her eyes, wiping away the tears that were already threatening to fall.

* * *

**A/N: I hate to end it there I really do! Don't all hate me all at once :) **

**Please review and tell me what you think! They all are great to read and thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter. **

**Thanks!**

**Sara x**


	39. Part of the List

**

* * *

**

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill**

* * *

Brooke stood silently in the gap from the hallway leading into the rest of the suite as she watched Lucas and Grace sit on the couch watching TV. She didn't really know what to say to Lucas this morning after what happened last night, her mind was all over the place and she didn't know how to deal with what Lucas was telling her. There was no way she could be ready to be with Lucas like that again so soon, not after what happened the last time. So instead of telling him this last night, she simply resided to the main bedroom after seeing that Lucas was making himself comfortable to sleep on the couch.

Lucas looked up when he saw Brooke slowly enter the room. "Morning" he mumbled before turning his attention back to the TV. Last nights rejection still running over and over in his head.

"Hey" Brooke spoke back quietly before turning to her daughter "How did you sleep baby girl?" she asked softly.

"Okay" Grace smiled with a shrug before following her fathers actions and turning back to the TV.

Brooke sighed as she nervously folded her arms across her chest. "Victoria just called me, she needs me to be at the store today for a conference call..."

Lucas looked up with a frown "But I thought we were spending the day in Charlotte?"

"I know" Brooke sighed "But...well...it's important" she mumbled. Honestly, it wasn't _that_ important and she probably could hold it off for a couple of days but the thought of spending the entire day with Lucas after what happened between them last night was not very appealing right now.

"Well what about Grace? She has been looking forward to this all morning" Lucas told her, clearly not happy about Brooke's change of plans.

Brooke cringed slightly as she looked down to her daughter who was too interested in what she was watching on the TV to be taking notice to what her parents were talking about. "I'm sorry but I need to get back there..."

"You don't need to do anything, Brooke" Lucas scoffed as he stood up "You are just following your mothers orders because you are too scared to stand up to her" he muttered to her coldly before walking into the kitchen, Brooke hot on his tail.

"Uh excuse me but you know _nothing _about my relationship with Victoria!" Brooke hissed at him angrily. "So don't you dare make comments on a subject that you know absolutely nothing about!"

"Right" Lucas let out a dry laugh "You know, you are right, it isn't really any of my business but I will make it my business when it involves my daughter!"

Brooke glared at him "This has nothing to do with Grace!" she argued.

"Well actually it kind of does, you are ruining her day just because your Mom clicks her fingers!" Lucas accused.

Brooke clenched her jaw "Fine, you know what, you are right" she muttered "You stay here with Grace, I will get a bus to Tree Hill myself" she told him causing Lucas to chuckle. "What the hell are you laughing at?" she asked annoyed.

"You? Brooke Davis would ride a _bus_? Yeah right!" he laughed.

"What?" Brooke glared at him angrily "I can so travel in a bus!"

"You hate public transport" Lucas pointed out "But then again...since _Mommy_ asked you too!" he hissed sarcastically.

"You really are an asshole Lucas Scott!" Brooke spat at him coldly "And yes, I will get a bus, trust me, anything is better than having to spend the day with _you_!" she glared before storming out of the room.

Lucas sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in annoyance and frustration. Why the hell was she being so damn awkward?

* * *

"Oh my lord! Next time I see you I really am going to call the cops!" Brooke groaned as she saw Jake enter her store, she was starting to get really sick of his presence, especially after the morning she has had. Travelling the bus back to Tree Hill was a pain in the ass and she was still extremely pissed off at Lucas.

"Nice to see you too, B" Jake grinned as he approached her.

"Are you stalking me?" Brooke asked seriously as she continued to work through her paperwork at her desk, she was so not in the mood for any of this.

"No I can't say that I am" Jake laughed "I do however still hold my request for you"

"Request?" Brooke questioned with a frown.

"You having coffee with me" Jake reminded her with a smile "We can catch up..."

Brooke looked up at him confused "Jake, not that I would choose to spend any time with you by choice anyway, but what on earth do we have to catch up on?"

"Aww B that's a bit harsh, I thought we were friends"

"We were never friends" Brooke told him sternly as she grumpily scribbled out a mistake.

Jake sighed and looked around the store curiously "Did you design all these clothes?" he asked.

Brooke groaned in frustration as she looked back up at him "Why are you still here?"

"I told you" Jake smirked "I wanted to take an old friend out for a coffee"

"Okay well I think that you, my old friend, should leave" Brooke told him with a sarcastic smile. "Okay?"

"I will leave if you agree to a drink with me" Jake pushed further, still looking smugly amused.

"No, you will leave before I call the cops" Brooke warned as she stood up "Now please leave my store"

"Fine, fine" Jake let out a dramatic sigh "See ya later B, I will be back tomorrow" he smirked causing Brooke to groan loudly.

"Ass!" She muttered to herself as she watched him leave, still a little confused about what the hell he was playing at.

* * *

"Wow" Haley spoke shocked as Brooke explained everything that had happened in the last 24 hours, from her kiss with Lucas all the way to Jake's weird sudden appearances. "That's..." she trailed not sure on what to say.

"Annoying" Brooke finished for her as she rolled her eyes. "Men are assholes"

Haley chuckled "Don't you think that's a bit strong, if I remember correctly from your story, wasn't it _you_ who turned Lucas down?"

Brooke glared at him "Well actually, he turned me down _first_" she pointed out stubbornly.

"Yeah on sex" Haley commented with a smile "Which by the way, I want to know why you would so easily decide to sleep with him, yet as soon as Lucas says he wants something more you run away"

"I did not run away" Brooke mumbled.

Haley laughed "Well actually Brooke, you kind of did run away...on a _bus_!"

"Shut up!" the brunette replied in a mutter. "It wasn't like that...I just...freaked out!"

"Well do you want to be with him?" Haley asked curiously "Because now you know he wants to be with you"

Brooke sighed and put her head in her hands "I just don't think that I'm ready for all that, after everything that happened between us the last time...being with him again like that...well...I'm not sure if it would be the right thing, for both of us as well as Grace"

"Is that what you really think?" Haley asked with a frown not really believing her excuse, it was always easy to hide behind the past, she knew that herself from her experience with Nathan "Or are you just scared that he will hurt you again?"

Brooke sighed and turned her head away shortly, not really entirely sure where her mind was right now, however a knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts and she quickly stood up to answer it, desperately trying to avoid Haley's question. However her 'save' wasn't the one she was hoping for.

"Lucas" Brooke mumbled as she saw him standing there, she looked down the path behind him to where Grace was pulling her backpack out of the car. "How was Charlotte?" she asked awkwardly.

"Good" Lucas replied shortly.

"Okay" Brooke muttered just as Grace finally made her way over. "Hey baby, you had a good day?"

"Yeah it was great" Grace smiled as she made her way past her mother into back. "Aunt Haley!" she squealed excitedly as she ran towards her mother's friend.

Brooke watched her go with a small smile before turning back to Lucas. "So...will you pick her up on Thursday?" she asked quietly.

"Of course" Lucas nodded as he rocked back and fourth on his heels. "Um...see you later then..."

"Yeah" Brooke breathed "Bye" she mumbled before slowly closing the door. She sighed loudly as she leaned back against the door, why did things always have to be so complicated in her life?

* * *

"Mrs Davis" Nathan grinned a fake sweet smile as the older Davis walked into the closed Clothes over Bro's store "I see you are back in Tree Hill...again" he greeted her with fake charm.

"Yes well New York is so over-rated Nathan" Victoria waved him off as she walked past him and behind the counter "And so it seems that my dutiful daughter cannot seem to run a business on her own, her sales are running low this month not to mention that she is late on sending over her new designs" she sighed disapprovingly while opening up the till and counting the money inside.

"Uh...Mrs Davis, I don't think Brooke will be too happy with you going through her till..." Nathan trailed hoping that he wouldn't start a war of words with the fierce business woman.

"Well Brooke isn't here, is she" Victoria fired back before frowning "In fact, where is my daughter?"

"She's just gone to drop Grace off at Millicent's" Nathan explained "She will be back soon though"

"Hm" Victoria frowned "And why are _you _here?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well we are going out tonight" Nathan told her with a shrug. "To Tric I think..."

Victoria scoffed "That would be right, my daughter is running this business into the ground and instead of working hard to improve it, she goes out partying with her friends"

"Actually I don't think it's like that-" Nathan tried to defend his best friend but got cut off by the woman herself.

"Mother!" Brooke's annoyed voice echoed through the store as she approached the counter. "What _are_ you _doing_?" she asked as she looked at the pile of notes in her mother's hand.

"I'm counting how much money you made today dear, something you clearly haven't done already" Victoria scolded as she shook her head. "So unreliable..." she muttered to herself.

"Well actually" Brooke started, the annoyance and anger showing in her voice "I was just about to do that"

"Right, was this before or after partying in some club?" Victoria asked disapprovingly.

Brooke sent a short glare to Nathan who quickly held his hands up in defence. "Before" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Okay well why don't you just leave with Mr Scott here and enjoy your Friday night" Victoria told her "Leave this to me"

"No it's okay, I can do it" Brooke argued.

"Brooke" Victoria said sternly "I can handle things here, you go and do what you do best"

Brooke scoffed and rolled her eyes "Whatever" she muttered "Come on Nate" she sighed before leaving the store.

Nathan stood up awkwardly and looked over at Victoria "Um...bye Mrs Davis" he mumbled uncomfortably before quickly following Brooke out of the store.

* * *

"Hey" Lucas smiled as Lindsey opened the door to her apartment "Sorry I'm late" he told her apologetically "I got held up at work"

"That's okay" Lindsey smiled quickly as she shut the door behind her, relieved that he had actually turned up, she had been nervously waiting by the door for at least 30 minutes. "I'm just glad you came"

"Well I promised you a good night out" Lucas grinned as they walked out of the building "Tric isn't too far from here so I thought we could just walk?"

"Yeah sounds good to me" Lindsey smiled at him, although she knew that the heels she was wearing were not suitable to walk in. "So...do you like my dress?" she asked as she did a mini twirl showing off her Brooke Davis design, having no idea who she was to her 'date' tonight.

"Sure" Lucas smiled "It's nice" he complimented, not knowing anything about fashion to recognise the outfit.

"Just nice?" Lindsey asked a little disappointed.

"Very nice" Lucas continued "It suits you"

"Thanks" Lindsey grinned as they continued to walk through the dark streets of Tree Hill.

* * *

"Give me another shot Owen!" Brooke ordered as she finished her first one.

"Sure" Owen chuckled as he went to make both Brooke and Nathan another drink.

"Maybe you should slow down Brookie, we have only just got here and I know you are a sucker to handle your drink, especially vodka" Nathan smirked.

"I don't care! I want that bitch's voice out of my head!" Brooke ranted in frustration as she downed another shot, much to Nathan and Owen's amusement. "Can you believe her? She comes into _my_ store and orders _me_ around? Unbelievable! I mean, who the hell does she think she is? She thinks she owns me! Well I have news for you Nathan Scott! She does _not_ own me! She may be my mother by name but Victoria Davis means nothing to me! She's just a bitter old shrew who has nothing else better to do than try and screw _my_ life up! Well no more Nathan! No more!" she ranted loudly before turning back to the bartender "Owen!" she moaned "Keep em coming!"

"Yes Miss" Owen chuckled as he passed Brooke over her third shot. "But that's your last one for now" he warned "I do not want a drunken Brooke Davis under my watch, you here me?"

"Ass" Brooke muttered before downing the strong liquid.

"He's right" Nathan pointed out as he ordered himself a beer "Just forget about Victoria, and you're right, she doesn't control your life so don't let her get to you now, it only means she's winning"

"Exactly!" Brooke agreed "But she just gets me so wound up, you know?"

"And it's what she wants" Nathan said "So just forget about it, yeah?"

"Yeah" Brooke sighed in agreement "Tonight shall be Victoria free!" she smiled before her face drained. "Oh my fucking god! Stupid mother fu-"

"What?" Nathan asked bemused before turning around and his eyes widened as he saw Victoria Davis dancing on the dance floor with guys half her age. "Oh dear" he mumbled as he watched his best friend storm over to Victoria.

"Mother!" Brooke shouted loudly enough for the men dancing around Victoria to look between the two surprised before scattering away.

"Brooke" Victoria sighed "What have I told you about calling me that in public? It makes me sound old!" she scolded.

"Well you _are_ old, Mom!" Brooke hissed "What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to ruin my life!"

"Oh don't be so dramatic Brooke" Victoria scoffed "I'm just here for a bit of fun...just like you are"

"No! You do not have fun! You hate fun!"

"Exaggerating has always been one of your traits dear" Victoria smiled fakely to her "Now if you don't mind, I was kind of in the middle of something"

"What? Dancing with guys old enough to be your son? Do you know how embarrassed I feel right now? How humiliated?"

"Honestly dear, that's the least of my worries right now" Victoria told her "Those guys think I'm old enough to be your mother!" she said in disgust and horror.

"You _are_ my mother!" Brooke shouted angrily.

"Yes but they shouldn't know that!" Victoria argued back with a smile "Now run along dear, I have people to see" she smirked before turning around and walking back to the group of men she was dancing with leaving a stunned Brooke behind.

"Can you believe her?" Brooke asked in disbelief as Nathan appeared at her side "Who the hell does she think she is?" she hissed. Nathan shrugged, unsure on what to say of the situation. "Can we please go?"

"Ah Brooke come on, don't let her spoil your night. If she wants to stay here and make a fool of herself then that's up to her, it's not your problem" He told her honestly.

"You're right!" Brooke agreed placing a large smile on her lips "It's not my problem, she can embarrass herself all she likes" she agreed "Now come on hotshot, after seeing _that_ I think I deserve a drink from you"

"And for once I agree" Nathan chuckled as he led his best friend towards the bar. He turned his had back to see Victoria flirting with a guy young enough to be her son and rolled his eyes in disgust, after seeing _that_, he also needed a drink!

* * *

"Hey I'm just going to go to the bathroom" Lucas spoke loudly to Lindsey as they entered the club "I wont be long" he smiled.

"Okay, I will go and get our drinks" Lindsey smiled as the two walked off into different directions, Lindsey heading towards the bar. She sat at the bar and ordered her drinks and turned her head to the side to see the designer of the dress she was wearing, she looked busy chatting to a handsome brunette so she wasn't sure if she should approach her, or even if the girl remembered her, however, she knew she needed to make more friends in this new town so she took a deep breath and nervously approached the couple.

"Brooke Davis, right?" she greeted with a smile and Brooke looked up a little surprised at the unrecognisable voice. Lindsey took note of Brooke's small confused smile before quickly reminding her "I was in your store that long ago, I bought this dress..." she said motioning to her outfit.

"Oh yes! Lindsey!" Brooke remembered with a smile as she brought her in for a quick hug, the alcohol making her more friendly "HI!" she grinned "How are you?"

"Fine thanks" Lindsey laughed "And you?"

"Great, great!" she repeated "So...how's the dress? Has it worked?"

"Um, I hope so" Lindsey smiled shyly "I'm here with that guy now actually"

"Are you? Great! You will have to introduce us, I will put in a good word for you" Brooke smirked "I told you that dress would grab you a date with him! My clothes work wonders!"

"Ahum" Nathan fake coughed as he stood awkwardly next to the two girls.

"Oh! Sorry!" Brooke smiled "Lindsey, this is Mr Hotshot himself, Nathan Scott" she grinned as she introduced her to her best friend "Natey, this is Lindsey..." she trailed forgetting her last name.

"Strauss" Lindsey finished for her "Lindsey Strauss"

"Nice to meet you Lindsey" Nathan greeted with a smile as he shook her hand. "You're a friend of Brooke's?" he asked curiously as he watched his best friend down another shot.

"Well not really-" Lindsey went on to explain before Brooke quickly cut her off.

"Yes! Yes you are a friend!" Brooke giggled "My friend Lindsey Strauss!"

"Lindsey" Lucas came up from behind, noticing that she was talking to his bastard of a brother, however he immediately came to a halt when he saw Brooke standing there. "Brooke"

"Lucas" Brooke frowned confused before glancing between the two, her eyes widened "Oh my god! Is _he_ your date?" she asked shocked.

"Oh dear" Nathan mumbled amused and stifled a laugh causing Lucas to glare at him.

Lindsey looked between the group confused. "Um...yes" she got out bewildered as she noticed how tense the atmosphere had become.

Brooke scoffed and grabbed a laughing Nathan's arm before storming away in the opposite direction without saying another word.

"Brooke!" Lucas shouted after her but she ignored him as she continued walking.

"Am I missing something here?" Lindsey asked confused.

Lucas sighed and rubbed his hand against the back of his neck nervously "Well...that's Brooke, my ex-girlfriend" he explained with a cringe "Grace's Mom"

"Oh..."

* * *

Brooke sat alone at a table in the corner of Tric, trying not to watch her Mother dance with men the same age as her and also avoid Lucas on his _date_. She couldn't help but feel jealous, even if she did reject him just a few days before. Knowing that this was the _gorgeous guy _Lindsey was talking to her about in her store made her feel sick to the stomach, well it was either that or the alcohol.

"Brooke"

The brunette sighed as she looked up to see Lucas nervously approach her "Not now Lucas" she muttered.

"Can we talk?" he asked ignoring her request as he took a seat next to her.

"Don't you have a _date_ you should be entertaining?" she asked bitterly.

"Please don't be like this Brooke" Lucas sighed "And it's not even like that" he explained.

"Well _Lindsey_ seems to think so" Brooke muttered "She seems to think you guys are on a date"

"Well then Lindsey is wrong" Lucas told her honestly "But I don't even understand why you are so mad with me! Especially after what happened in Charlotte the other day"

"Well I don't want to talk about that" Brooke mumbled.

"But I do" Lucas told her sternly before shaking his head slowly "Brooke you broke my heart" he said quietly as he looked down into his hands.

"And you don't think that you broke mine when you left?" she asked in disbelief before letting out a loud sigh "You know what Lucas, I...just go" she said defeated "I really cant deal with this tonight" she muttered as she sent a short glance over to her mother.

"Brooke we need to talk about this" Lucas told her pleadingly "And despite you thinking that I'm on a date with Lindsey, I'm not, she's just a friend. I meant what I said in Charlotte, I want to be with you"

"Lucas please-"

"No!" Lucas cut her off sternly "You need to hear this Brooke, no actually, you need to see this" he muttered as he reached into his back pocket.

"See what?" Brooke asked confused as she watched Lucas open up his wallet and pull out a rumpled piece of paper "What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

"It's a list" Lucas told her with a small smile "Here" he handed it over to her before standing up "You want space, then fine, you can have space, but when you're ready, Brooke, I will be there" he told her softly before walking away.

Brooke watched him go as tears threatened to enter her eyes before turning her attention back to the piece of paper that was scribbled with Lucas' handwriting. She opened it up curiously and her heart skipped a beat as she read the title.

_The things I miss most about you, Brooke Davis._

_The way your eyes light up when you smile, your sweet smell, the way you style your hair, the sound of your laugh, touching your face, the shape of your nose, the way you kissed me, the touch of your skin, the stories you told, the jokes you told me, your funny little laugh when you were nervous, the way you kink your eyebrow, the way you used to hold my hand, calling me your boyfriend. You saying that you love me. And those are just part of the list. I love you Brooke Penelope Davis._

Brooke looked up from the list with tears in her eyes as she scanned the crowded club for her blonde ex-boyfriend. She stood up as she folded the piece of paper with shaky hands and placed it in her purse as she went off in search of Lucas Scott.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think.**

**The title is a song by Ne-Yo, whose lyrics gave me the idea of the list, I went to see him in concert last night and he was AMAZING! **

**So, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and please review this one! Thanks,**

**Sara x**


	40. Creep

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill.**

* * *

Lucas pushed his way through the masses amount of drunk young adults and probably even some teenagers before crashing straight into another body. "Oh!" he gasped loudly as he stepped back a bit "I'm so sorry" he apologised quickly before realising who he had actually bumped into.

"So you should be" Victoria scowled "Do you not have eyes?" she asked in a harsh tone.

"I...uh..." Lucas stuttered unsure of what to say to his daughters grandmother.

Victoria eyed Lucas up and down, a hint of disgust and suspicion in her eyes "Do I know you from somewhere?" she asked in her normal icy voice.

"Um, yes actually" Lucas started, not sure if he should have just lied and said no before getting as further away from this woman as he could. He wondered if Brooke knew her Mother was here, dressed like a 19 year old. "I'm Lucas"

"Lucas?" Victoria asked while raising her eyebrow, something that reminded the blonde of her daughter.

"Lucas Scott...Grace's father" he said while preparing himself for the Davis wrath.

"Oh" Victoria breathed out in a disapproving tone "Of course you are"

Lucas stayed silent as he nodded his head and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I have always wanted to come face to face with the man who ruined my daughters life" Victoria hissed at him harshly "Knocking her up at the sad age of 17 before running off to your next crack den"

Lucas frowned "Look Mrs Davis, it's not really any of your business" he told her not really wanting to get into an argument with this woman, the last thing he wanted to do was give Brooke another reason not to be with him.

"Hm" Victoria nodded "And tell me..._Lucas_, what are you doing back here in Tree Hill?"

"Well I want my family back" Lucas said confidently.

"Your family?" Victoria questioned unconvinced.

"Yes, Grace and Brooke" Lucas told her "I'm in love with your daughter Mrs Davis"

Victoria rolled her eyes "Sure" she muttered while waving him off "Have a nice night Lucas, try to stay off the drugs for the sake of my grand daughter" she finished before turning around and walking away, leaving a frowning Lucas behind.

* * *

"So..." Nathan trailed as he stood next to Lindsey at the bar "This is awkward..."

Lindsey nodded her head as she downed the rest of her drink before slamming it against the bar "So tell me something Nathan, just how _complicated _is complicated with Lucas and Brooke?" she asked curiously. After their little encounter earlier, Lindsey tried to ask Lucas what was going on between him and Brooke but he just simply shrugged her off while claiming that it was complicated, so here she was standing at the bar, talking to a guy that is apparently Lucas' half brother that she did not even know he had, asking for details on a relationship that she also didn't know existed.

Nathan chuckled into his beer before taking a short swig before turning his head to Lindsey "It's pretty complicated in the terms of Lucas is an asshole and Brooke is too good for him"

"Right" Lindsey nodded "So...you guys are brothers? How come you both don't get along?" she asked confused, she knew that siblings always fought and had their problems but at the end of the day they would still be family, so what was so different between that and these two Scott boys?

"Ah" Nathan smiled "That is also complicated" he smirked.

"How complicated is complicated?" Lindsey asked again with a small smile.

"Complicated in the terms of Lucas is an asshole and that I was unfortunate enough to be born from the same sperm donor as he was" Nathan said with a shrug "And don't call him my brother" he told her seriously.

"Okay..." Lindsey frowned a little confused "Do you think that he and Brooke will get back together?" she asked nervously, hoping that the answer would be no, not that she and Lucas were serious or anything but she _really_ liked him.

"If Brooke is smart enough to stay away from his ass then, no, I don't think they will" Nathan said with a sigh "However, my best friend is known for making stupid decisions, so maybe" he muttered.

"Oh"

"I wouldn't worry about it though" Nathan told her reassuringly "If Brooke wanted Lucas that much, she would have had him by now" he said.

"And do you think that Lucas still wants to be with her?" Lindsey asked quietly, not quite sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Nathan chuckled "Honestly, I think he would be stupid _not _to want to be with her, I mean, really, whats there not to like about Brooke Davis? She is funny and beautiful and kind and creative, everything a man could want in a woman"

"You sound like you are talking from experience" Lindsey mused curiously "Have you and Brooke ever had a thing going on? You guys seem pretty close"

"Nah" Nathan shook his head with a smile "Brooke has been my best friend since we were kids...dating her would be like dating my own sister, not right" he told her "Anyway, the topic of Lucas and Brooke dating or not dating is not exactly something I want to talk about" he said honestly "So unless you have anything better to talk about I suggest we keep it quiet" he smirked.

Lindsey frowned at him before turning away from the brunette, wondering if all the guys in Tree Hill were either already taken by their High School sweethearts or just genuine rude idiots like Nathan Scott.

* * *

Brooke hurriedly walked through the crowded club as she tried to search for her ex-boyfriend, which was turning out to be a hard task considering her height and how people seemed to rudely stand in her way.

"B, fancy seeing you here" Jake smirked as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side towards him after noticing her walking past.

Brooke groaned as she pulled her arm out of Jake's grasp and looked at him in annoyance "Jake I really don't have time for this right now!" she told him frustrated as she stood on her toes to see if she could spot Lucas from where she was standing.

"I just want to talk, Brooke" Jake told her with a smile "And maybe buy you a drink, or maybe you buy me one since I'm kinda short on the money tonight" he smirked.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she hurriedly searched into her purse before pulling out a few dollar bills and shoving them harshly in Jake's hands "There you go, I have bought you a drink" she hissed at him coldly with a fake smile "Now leave me alone" she muttered before going to turn around but Jake stopped her.

"Are you not going to join me?" Jake asked.

Brooke groaned loudly "No!" she told him sternly "So will you please just go away!" she muttered before turning and leaving this time.

She pushed her way through the crowd and let out another frustrated groan as she came face to face with her mother. "Are you still here?" she asked annoyed.

"What are you in a hurry for?" Victoria asked in her usual cold tone after ignoring Brooke's question.

"None of your business" Brooke fired back icily as she looked around the club with her eyes.

"Looking for someone?" Victoria questioned after noticing that her daughter was looking a little distracted.

"What's it to you?" Brooke asked impatiently.

"Well actually I was just talking to that High School dropout boyfriend of yours...what's his name again..." she trailed.

"Lucas!" Brooke interrupted "Have you see him?" she asked hurriedly.

"Why? What are you up to?" Victoria asked suspiciously before frowning "You aren't back with him are you?" she asked while scowling.

"Just tell me where he is!" Brooke groaned impatiently.

"I just saw him leave, about two minutes ago" Victoria informed her with a shrug "Right out that door over there"

"Thank you!" Brooke said in a relieved tone before quickly heading in that direction.

"Brooke!" Victoria shouted after her.

"What?" Brooke turned around impatiently.

"Be careful with him" Victoria warned her causing Brooke to frown and slowly nod her head before heading off in the direction Lucas had disappeared off too.

* * *

Brooke hurriedly ran out of the club and quickly down the steps as she searched the car park for Lucas. If Victoria was telling the truth in saying that Lucas had just left minutes before then surely he would still be around somewhere. She made her way towards the exit and that's when she saw him walking towards the end of the car park "Lucas" she shouted loudly but when he didn't turn around she ran in her heels behind him "Lucas!" she repeated, louder this time.

Lucas frowned when he heard his name being called and slowly turned around to see a breathless Brooke Davis running towards him. "Brooke?" he looked on confused as she brunette stopped running and walked slowly towards him. "What are you doing?" he asked bemused.

"Did you mean this?" Brooke asked breathlessly as she pulled out his list and held it in front of her "Lucas, did you mean this?" she asked again when the blonde didn't answer.

"Of course I meant it" Lucas told her honestly "I still do"

Brooke nodded her head as she placed the piece of paper back in her purse "I miss the same, you know" she told him softly "About being with you"

Lucas stayed silent as he waited for Brooke to continue, they had had so many conversations very similar to this one and every time, Brooke pushed him away, always telling him that they were better off staying friends and so on.

"I'm sorry about what happened in Charlotte" Brooke continued "I didn't mean for that to happen...or for things to get this far"

"It doesn't matter, Brooke" Lucas sighed "You aren't ready, you don't trust me, and it's okay, I understand it"

"No" Brooke quickly shook her head quickly "I do trust you, I just...I freaked out" she told him hoping that he would say something, however he continued to stand there silently, almost as if he was scared to talk to her. Did she really let things get this far between them? "Luke...I'm ready" she spoke softly as she took a step towards him.

Lucas frowned confused as he looked up towards her "You're ready?" he asked with a little bit of hope creeping into his voice.

"Yeah" Brooke nodded with a small smile "I don't know why it's only just hit me now, the list helped but I guess it's always been there and I've just been trying to block it out because I was scared to take that risk, but I'm not scared anymore Lucas. I know what I want now"

"What are you saying Brooke?"

"I'm saying that I want everything you want" Brooke told him with a nervous smile "I want to be with you, I want you me and Grace to be a family...a real family"

Lucas took a step towards her and slowly took her hand in his "And you mean this? Because I can't stand for you to say this but then change your mind again tomorrow because you don't want to take that risk, Brooke, because honestly, I don't think I would be able to handle it"

"I'm being serious" Brooke told him honestly "I want to be with you, and although I don't think we should rush into things and maybe take things slow to start off with, but...I think we have a future together, no scratch that, I _know_ we have a future together, it's always been you Lucas"

Lucas smiled widely as he placed his hand on Brooke's cheek and slowly leaned forward kissing her softly. Brooke grinned into his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought them closer together as she pressed her lips harder against his turning the kiss more passionate as Lucas placed his hand on the back of her head.

Lucas was the first to pull away but still held onto her and kept her close as he looked down into her eyes "I love you Brooke Davis"

Brooke smiled as she leaned up and kissed him softly before slowly pulling away pressing her forehead against his "I love you too Lucas Scott" she whispered into him before attaching her lips back against his.

* * *

"You guys wanting another drink or what?" Peyton asked Nathan and Lindsey impatiently as she eyed the woman suspiciously, never seeing her around here before. She had just started her nights shift and she couldn't help but feel surprised and put out to see Nathan standing talking to another girl.

"Yeah another beer would be great, Peyt, thanks" Nathan smiled at her before looking at Lindsey "What about you?" he asked curiously. The two had got talking and although she was Lucas' _date_, she seemed like an alright girl, and since she was new to town, he figured that she could do with making some more friends, at least more suitable friends than Lucas Scott.

"Oh no I'm good" Lindsey smiled at Peyton who stood frowning at her "Thanks though" she smiled turning to Nathan.

"It's cool" Nathan shrugged before turning back to Peyton who had placed his beer onto the bar "So...how are you Peyton?" he asked curiously. The two hadn't really spoken that much since Julian outed his fling with Rachel to everyone.

"Fine" Peyton answered sharply "I thought you were here with Brooke tonight?" she asked him after not noticing her best friend around "Although I see we have an older Davis in tow too" she smirked while motioning over to Victoria who was seated at a table around a load of college guys.

Nathan grunted as he saw Victoria and shrugged "I was, she was here before but now she has disappeared, probably gone home, can't say I blame her, if I saw Deb acting like Victoria is tonight I don't think I would be able to leave the house for days with embarrassment"

Peyton laughed "Oh please, I have seen Deb in a worse state than that" she smirked causing Nathan to glare at her. "What?" she asked in mock shock "I do run a bar, I _see _things"

"Well there are just some _things_ I do not need to know about" Nathan warned her in a huff before turning his attention back to Lindsey "So, I see Lucas is acting like the perfect gentleman, perfect date with him tonight or what" he smirked sarcastically.

Lindsey was about to answer but Peyton quickly cut her off "Wait, you're on a date with Lucas?" she asked shocked causing Lindsey to slowly nod "Brooke's Lucas?" she asked again.

"Uh no Peyton, he is not Brooke's _anything_" Nathan cut in sharply causing Peyton to roll her eyes.

"Well..." Lindsey stuttered "It's not really a _date_ date, but well...I don't know...I guess I kinda like him"

"Hm" Peyton mused "I would watch out with that one mind you" she warned "He doesn't exactly have the best track record with women, but then again, neither does Nathan and he still seems to get the girls"

"Ha ha!" Nathan mocked her sarcastically "Peyton Sawyer always the comedian" he scoffed causing Peyton to flash him a mocking smile.

"Lucas seems like an alright guy to me" Lindsey shrugged. "I like him"

"That's because you don't know him" Nathan joined in the conversation "The guy is an asshole"

"So you keep saying" Lindsey commented "But he has always been kind to me, I have no reason not to like him" she shrugged.

"Who are you anyway?" Peyton asked bluntly.

"Lindsey" she told her, not really liking the attitude that this bartender seemed to have against her. "I moved here a few weeks ago"

"Hmph" Peyton mumbled "Well welcome to Tree Hill Lindsey, I'm sure it wont take you long to get involved in some _drama_"

Nathan chuckled agreeing "For once she's right"

* * *

"Do you want to go back inside?" Lucas asked as he ran his hands up and down Brooke's arms as he noticed her shivering from the cold.

"Oh I don't know" Brooke smiled "I kind of want to just go home...with you"

Lucas smirked as he kissed her quickly before wrapping his arms around her and pressing her against his body to keep her warm "That sounds good to me" he grinned.

"Grace is at Mouth's place with Millicent so we will have the place to ourselves" Brooke smirked as she wrapped her arm around Lucas' waist as the two began to walk away from the club.

"I quite like the sound of that" Lucas smiled "But what happened to taking things slow?"

"Well, I was planning on that, but then I figured taking things slow is kinda boring, and let's face it, it's _us_"

"Good point" Lucas chuckled as they walked a steady pace through the dark streets, arms wrapped around each other. "I feel so happy right now, Brooke, happier than I have felt in a _very_ long time"

"Me too" Brooke agreed honestly "I feel like we have wasted too much time already, you know? I just want to be with you so bad now"

"Well you can be" Lucas smiled "This is it now, you and me, no more mistakes I promise"

"I know" Brooke agreed "I do think we should keep things on the low down between us for a little why though" she admitted causing Lucas to sigh loudly.

"Brooke" he groaned "We have done the whole secret relationship before, remember? And it didn't exactly end well, if I remember you and Nathan stopped speaking and you lost some friends"

"I know that, and I'm not saying we should keep it a secret, I just don't think we should go around shouting it from the rooftops just yet" Brooke told him honestly.

"Well maybe I want to shout it from the rooftops, maybe I want to tell the world that you and me are back together"

"Well if they ask then we shall tell them" Brooke shrugged "I just know that Nathan is not going to react too well to this"

"Okay so don't you think that it will be better coming straight from you? You know what happened the last time"

Brooke sighed and dug her face into Lucas' chest as they walked "You're right" she mumbled "I will tell him tomorrow"

"Good" Lucas smiled as he leaned his head down to kiss the tip of her head softly "I don't want to hide away, Brooke, not anymore"

"Then we wont" Brooke smiled "Besides, people are going to start asking questions when I change my Facebook status from single" she joked causing Lucas to let out a small laugh.

"That's good to know" he chuckled. "Really good to know"

"I know" Brooke smiled "Boyfriend"

* * *

"Oh yeah!" Peyton gasped as she and Nathan continued to fill in Lindsey about all the scandals that happen in Tree Hill. "Although I remember when you got arrested for beating up Felix Taggaro" she pointed out with a smile.

Nathan chuckled "Yep, and I totally don't regret it" he said with a smirk "Right over there was when Haley and Rachel had a full on bitch fight on the stage in front of our entire senior class!" he told Lindsey "It was our post graduation party and things got a little out of hand"

"Especially when alcohol is involved" Peyton pointed out.

"You guys seemed to have a very drama filled High School experience" Lindsey smiled "It makes my life seem pretty boring"

"Some of it was really bad though" Peyton admitted "I think it was right over there" she said pointing to the floor "When Lucas got stabbed"

"Lucas got stabbed?" Lindsey gasped in shock.

"Yep" Peyton nodded "It was our junior year and he was involved with all the wrong kind of guys back then"

"Wow" Lindsey mumbled not expecting that.

"You guys talking about Lucas?" Jake asked with a smirk as he approached the three. "Hello Peyton" he winked at her.

Peyton rolled her eyes "Would you like another drink, Jake?" she asked coldly.

"Yes please, and this one is on Brooke Davis" he smirked while handing her the money causing Peyton to frown.

"What now?" Nathan asked in a cold tone as he turned his attention to him "On Brooke?"

"Yep" Jake smiled "She agreed to buy me a drink"

"Why the hell would Brooke agree to that?" Peyton asked with a scowl.

"I don't know" Jake shrugged with a smug smile "Maybe she likes me? We all know that Brooke can never resist a bad boy"

"You want to shut your mouth jackass!" Nathan hissed at him coldly as he pushed Jake back.

"Nate" Peyton warned, not wanting any trouble.

"Yeah Nate" Jake scoffed "Listen to your lady" he mocked him while stepping back towards the bar. "Brooke and I have been getting rather close as of late"

"Just go away loser!" Nathan spat at him nastily "Nobody wants you here!"

Jake took his drink from Peyton and held his spare hand up in defence "I didn't come here to cause any trouble Nate, just a nice quiet drink" he smirked "See you around guys" he finished before turning away.

"Is it just me, or does that guy give you the creeps?" Lindsey asked with a weird frown.

"That's because he is a creep" Peyton told her "It's best to stay well away from guys like him, he is interested in three things and three things only, drugs, alcohol and sex"

"Yeah" Nathan agreed as he followed Jake with his eyes suspiciously "He's a creep" he repeated Peyton's words quietly.

* * *

"Mmm" Brooke smiled the next morning as she felt Lucas lean over and softly kiss her neck as the two of them lay in bed after spending an _amazing_ night together.

"Are you awake?" Lucas whispered against her skin with a smile.

"No" Brooke whispered back with a small giggle as she slowly turned around and met Lucas' lips with her own. "Morning" she spoke softly once she pulled away.

"Good morning Pretty Girl" Lucas grinned before kissing her again. "I could get used to this" he smirked.

"Me too" Brooke agreed with a smile as she pulled the covers over her naked body to protect her from the cold. "But I need to get up soon and pick up Grace"

"Well I can do that" Lucas told her as he lightly ran his fingers through Brooke's soft locks subconsciously.

"You sure?" Brooke asked "Because I can do it"

"Of course I'm sure" Lucas smiled "I missed her yesterday, and besides, you should relax after the night you just had" he teased.

"I think I agree with that, after all I need my energy back for tonight" she smirked.

"Tonight?" Lucas questioned as a small grin lingered on his lips.

"Yes" Brooke nodded "We can continue you from where we left off"

"Hmm" Lucas smirked "I'm definitely looking forward to that" he spoke enthusiastically. "Very excited"

"Good" Brooke smiled as she kissed him quickly "Now go!"

"Do I have to go so soon?" Lucas asked with a pout "I was hoping we could have a little fun first" he smirked.

Brooke laughed as she slowly sat up "I don't think so gorgeous, I'm already late in picking up Grace so if you don't leave now I might have to re-think spending tonight with you too"

"That's not fair" Lucas moaned as he tried to kiss her again but Brooke pushed his head away with her hand.

"Go!" Brooke smiled as she watched him pout once more before reluctantly getting out of bed and putting on his clothes from the night before "But don't be long" she warned him.

"Trust me, I wont be" Lucas smiled as he walked towards the door "I love you Pretty Girl" he smiled while looking over to her.

Brooke grinned as she let out a content sigh "I love you too" she said while waving at him as he left the room. She waited until she heard him leave the house before lying back down on the bed and kicking her legs up and down in the air in excitement while letting out a squeal of delight. Like Lucas had said to her last night, she had never felt this happy in such a long long time, not since back when her and Lucas were dating the first time, and sure she had her worries and fears but she knew this time that her and Lucas would be stronger than ever and whatever problems or challenges that are heading their way, they would deal with it together this time instead of running away.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, really inspires me to write more! Please review this one too and tell me what you thought!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! ;) **

**Thanks,**

**Sara x**


	41. Not Just A Fish

****

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill.**

* * *

Lucas smiled as he came up from behind and wrapped his arms around Brooke's waist. "So what are your plans for today?" he asked before softly pressing his lips against her neck. He had picked Grace up from Millicent this morning and he could hardly hide his excitement when Millicent asked the simple question as to why he was picking her up instead of Brooke, deciding at the time to let a little lie slip from his lips by saying that Brooke wasn't feeling to good, not because he wanted to keep it a secret but because he barely knew this girl and it was up to Brooke to tell her.

"You mean our plans?" Brooke asked smiling as she continued to make Grace's lunch. "Because I was thinking maybe we should do something together"

"That sounds good to me" Lucas grinned as he took a step back and walked to the table and sat down. "So, have you spoken to Nathan yet?"

"No" Brooke frowned "I haven't seen him..." she trailed.

"I thought maybe you would have told him while I was gone?" he shrugged, not wanting Brooke to stall on telling her best friend. He knew in the long haul, that the longer she left it the more annoyed Nathan would be. He didn't even know what the big deal was in even telling him, it's not like they need his permission to be together, he doesn't even like the guy, but Brooke does, and because of that he would have to _try_ and pretend that he gives a rats ass about what Nathan Scott thinks.

"You were only gone an hour" Brooke told him while rolling her eyes "Don't worry about it okay" she told him reassuringly as she turned around to face him "I'm going to tell him, I'm not hiding this from anyone"

Lucas nodded with a small smile as he opened his arms out motioning for Brooke to come and sit on his lap, something she eagerly accepted. Brooke wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him softly on the lips as Lucas wrapped his arms around her.

"What are you doing?" Grace's voice broke the kiss and the two pulled away from each other quickly, Brooke standing back up as they both turned around to face the suspicious five year old. Grace. All the discussion about how Nathan would handle things, they didn't really think about how to explain it to their daughter.

"Grace" Brooke smiled widely "Your lunch is almost ready" she told her enthusiastically as she sent a short glance towards the oven "Are you hungry?"

Grace nodded her head before looking at her mother questioningly "Why were you kissing Daddy?" she asked.

"Kissing?" Lucas joined in the conversation with a smile "We were just talking..." he offered lamely.

Brooke rolled her eyes "Luke, my daughter has been around Rachel long enough to know what kissing is" she sighed "And kind of what it means..."

Lucas frowned at the comment before pulling Grace towards him and lifting her up onto his knees "Me and your Mom...well..." he stuttered unsure of what to say to a five year old.

"Okay" Brooke breathed out as she took a seat next to them "Gracie, your Dad and I, well, we have decided that we are going to be a couple..."

Grace looked at both her parents confused, not understanding what they were talking about.

"Okay" Brooke repeated "You know when Mommy's and Daddy's live together and are married?" she asked and Grace sent her a nod "Well..." she continued "Before they do all of that stuff...they..._date_" she tried to explain.

Grace however seemed to have no idea what they were talking about and instead asked another question "So are you and Daddy getting married?"

"No" Brooke shook her head before sending a quick wary glance in Lucas' direction.

"Well" Lucas interrupted "Maybe someday we will get married, but for now...we are just...together"

"Together" Brooke agreed "Right...do you understand what we are trying to tell you baby?" she asked Grace softly.

Grace however shrugged and pulled out of Lucas' grasp "Can I go back to my room now? I want to finish playing with my dolls" she explained.

"Sure" Brooke nodded with a small smile as she watched her daughter leave the room "But your food is almost ready!" she shouted after her before turning her attention back to Lucas "Well..." she trailed "We explained that awfully"

"Yeah" Lucas agreed with a small chuckle "Do you think we need to talk to her again?" he asked. "Try and make her understand what is going on?"

"Nah" Brooke shook her head "She is five years old, she doesn't care as long as she's happy, and that's all that matters, right?"

"Of course" Lucas nodded "Grace comes first, always" he smiled "I just wish things would be as easy for us as it is for her" he laughed.

"Yeah me too" Brooke agreed with a smile as she let Lucas take her hand in his across the table "If only Nathan would accept us as easy as Grace just did" she spoke quietly with a small smile.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks, Brooke" Lucas told her honestly "It's your life, not his"

"I know" Brooke sighed "But he has just done so much for me..."

"And you are grateful and have thanked him for that, but that doesn't mean that he gets to tell you what you can and can't do, who you can see or whatever!" Lucas told her in an annoyed tone, he has always hated the way Nathan always seemed to control a part of Brooke.

Brooke nodded her head agreeing "You're right, you are, but it's still hard"

"It's always going to be hard with him babe" Lucas told her softly as he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers lightly "But we're just going to have to get on with it, you and me, we are together now and Nathan is just going to have to accept that"

"Thank you" Brooke whispered "You always know how to make me feel better" she smiled.

"That's my job" Lucas grinned as he shuffled the chair around and kissed her lightly on the lips before pulling away.

"I will tell Nathan this afternoon" Brooke sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder "And if he doesn't like it, he's just going to have to deal with it" she admitted causing Lucas to let out a small smile before kissing the top of her head softly.

* * *

"Hey" Nathan greeted with a smile as he opened the door of his apartment to see Brooke standing there with a nervous smile playing on her lips "Come on in"

"Thanks" Brooke smiled as she walked past him and into the apartment.

"So where did you run off to last night?" Nathan asked curiously "One minute you were in Tric, the next you had just disappeared"

"Yeah" Brooke sighed "Sorry about that"

"That's okay" Nathan smirked "If I saw my Mom doing what Victoria was doing last night I think I would have left too" he chuckled causing Brooke to let out a small cringe. "And if it really helps, she left Tric before I did last night and I'm pretty sure she went home alone" he smirked.

Brooke couldn't help but let out a little smile as she nodded "That's good to know!"

"Hey so uh...last night at Tric, that Jake Jagelski guy seemed to think that you bought him a drink" Nathan said while frowning "He was lying, right?"

Brooke groaned and shook her head "No" she admitted and Nathan was about to speak before she cut him off quickly "No listen!" she warned "He was annoying me, and I just wanted to leave so I just gave him some money and told him to get a drink on me because I knew that was the only way I could get him to shut up" she explained.

Nathan frowned but nodded anyway "The guy is a tool" he told her "You should stay well away from him"

"Yeah I know" Brooke sighed "Actually there was something else I wanted to talk to you about..." she trailed nervously, knowing that if she didn't tell Nathan about Lucas now then she would never be able to. It was now or never.

"Sure" Nathan smiled "Go ahead"

"Okay" Brooke took a deep breath and just as she was about to speak the ringing of Nathan's phone interrupted her. Great timing!

"Sorry" Nathan apologised quickly as he ran to get his cell before bringing it up to his ear "Tim! My man, hows it going?" he smiled into the phone and Brooke groaned and rolled her eyes when she realised who it was who was on the other line.

"Yeah man, cool" Nathan continued speaking to the dozy brunette much to Brooke's annoyance. "That sounds good to me" he continued.

"Nathan!" Brooke hissed in a whisper urging him to hurry up. Nathan held his hand him motioning that he wouldn't be long as he continued talking through the phone.

Brooke stood against the table in annoyance and nerves as the minutes passed and passed and Tim was still talking! She knew that she was losing her nerve in telling her best friend, and as she eyed the clock nervously from the corner of her eye, the more she just wanted to leave.

"Lucas and I are back together!" Brooke shouted loudly causing Nathan to come to a halt and stop speaking. Brooke didn't say anything else as she looked at Nathan with nervous but hopeful eyes.

"Tim" Nathan mumbled into the phone "I will call you back" he spoke slowly before hanging up and turning around to face Brooke.

* * *

"Lucas" Rachel frowned as she stood at Brooke's door, not expecting the brooding blonde to be the one to answer "What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

Lucas contemplated on telling Rachel about him and Brooke but decided against it, he knew it wasn't his place "I'm looking after Grace" he explained causing Rachel to nod.

"So I take it Brooke isn't home?" she asked with a sigh.

"That's right" Lucas replied bluntly as he stood there silently as the two formed into an awkward silence.

"Well do you know how long she will be?" Rachel asked impatiently and Lucas could see that she wasn't in a very good mood, which he knew meant trouble.

"She shouldn't be too long" Lucas replied.

"Okay well can I come inside and wait then?" Rachel requested but before Lucas could answer she pushed her way past him into the house and walked into the living room before taking a seat comfortably on the couch.

"Oh come on in and make yourself at home Rachel" Lucas muttered to himself sarcastically.

"Thanks" Rachel replied with a fake smile after hearing what he had said "So where is Grace?" she asked curiously noticing the little girl wasn't about.

"She's upstairs in her room playing with her toys" Lucas answered curtly as he took a seat on the single arm chair. "So...what do you want Brooke for?" he asked curiously, trying to make conversation with the feisty redhead.

"Well I don't really think that's any of your business" Rachel replied cooly "But speaking of Miss Davis, what's the deal with you two?"

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked deciding to play dumb.

"Don't bullshit with me Lucas Scott, I used to know you in High School remember, where the hell did that straight talking not scared of anything guy disappear too? I know that you may think that you've changed, but nobody can change this much" Rachel started in an accusing tone "And to be honest, I'm surprised that Brooke is believing all this crap too"

Lucas glared at her angrily "In case you didn't realise, Rachel, I made a mistake and now I'm fixing it, all I want to do is be a good Dad and be there for Grace and Brooke, the guy I was in High School is not who I am anymore!" he defended.

"Right" Rachel nodded not believing him "So what happens when things get harder? Would you be able to keep the nice guy act up?"

Lucas scoffed and shook his head "Give it a rest Rachel" he muttered.

"No I'm being serious, what if Brooke meets some new guy, some amazing guy who is so much better than you and wants to be a father figure to Grace, what would you do then? Play nice still and befriend him? Because I know you better than that, and I know that you have a temper and I also know that you have some weird over the top reaction to anyone that messes with Brooke. Hell, you threatened me in High School because I was messing with her and I'm not even a guy!"

"That won't happen" Lucas argued "I've changed"

"To an extent maybe" Rachel nodded "I do think you have solved some issues, I will give you that, but how long can it last, Lucas?"

"This isn't any of your business Rachel" Lucas hit back coldly "Why the hell are you even here? And what gives you the right to come in here and tell me what I am and how I feel? I know myself, Brooke knows me and Grace knows me and that's all that matters to me. I don't give a shit about what you think, I don't give a shit about what Nathan thinks, I don't give a shit about what Haley or Peyton or Owen or what anybody else thinks! Because you know what, Rachel, Brooke knows me, she trusts me and she loves me. She has picked me _again_ because she loves me, she wants to be with _me_, she couldn't give a damn what you think about us! Or what anybody else thinks about us because at the end of the day, she has chosen to be with me!"

Rachel let out a bitter chuckle "Right" she scoffed "And you really think that Brooke will take you back after what you did?"

Lucas smirked "Well that's where you are wrong, because she already has" he told her smugly.

"What?" Rachel asked shocked before shaking her head "You're lying"

"I'm not" Lucas smirked "Brooke and I are back together, and it's for good this time"

Rachel stayed silent as she thought about the situation "Does Nathan know about this yet?" she asked with a frown.

"Probably, since that's where Brooke is now" Lucas told her "And I don't care if he doesn't like it, I don't care if you don't like it. It's what is happening and you are all just going to have to deal with it" he told her sternly "Now if you don't mind, I think you should leave" he said while standing up.

Rachel looked at him stunned before standing up and looking at him with a glare "Well, I hope for that little girls sake that you are serious this time, because if you hurt Brooke or Grace again, there will be a long list of people waiting to kick your ass" she warned before turning around and leaving the room.

Lucas waited until he heard the door slam before falling back onto the couch, Rachel was always a handful, that hadn't changed, and he just hoped that Brooke wouldn't mind that he was the one to tell one of her friends the news that they were back together.

* * *

Nathan frowned as he put his cell phone down on the counter and walked a couple of steps closer towards his best friend "What do you mean? You are back together?" he asked with a scowl.

"I think you know what I mean, Nathan" Brooke sighed, hoping this wouldn't be as hard as she was building it up to be, but the look on the male brunettes face was proving she was right to begin with. "Please don't me mad at me" she pleaded.

Nathan grunted to himself and looked down at the floor with a fixated scowl placed on his face "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yes" Brooke answered "We want to give it a real go this time, we love each other and we want to be a family"

"He doesn't love you" Nathan muttered quietly "He doesn't know what love is"

"That's not true" Brooke defended her boyfriend "He loves me and he loves Grace"

"Brooke the guy is an asshole!" Nathan hissed angrily while raising his head to look at her "Have you forgotten what he did to you? What state he left you in?" he asked in disbelief.

"No of course I haven't!" Brooke argued "But that was all in the past, we have to move on sometime!"

"No" Nathan disagreed immediately "I can't, because he wasn't there to see how broken you were after he left, I was the one who had to look after you! I was the one who helped you with Grace when she was just a little baby, I was the one to do all those things Brooke! Not Lucas! Me!"

"But this isn't about you, Nate" Brooke sighed "It's not"

Nathan groaned "But Brooke, can't you see what's going to happen? He will hurt you again but this time he will hurt Grace too!"

Brooke shook her head fiercely "No Nathan, that will not happen! Do you honestly think I would have even _considered_ taking another chance with him if I even thought for a _second_ that he would hurt Grace?"

"You know what I think Brooke" Nathan started "I think that when it comes to Lucas fucking Scott, you don't think clearly, you make stupid decisions that turn out wrong in the end, and you can't see him for what he really is"

Brooke let out a dry laugh and sighed "You say that I don't know what he's really like? Yet you don't seem to have a clue, all you do is judge him for his name, the fact that the two of you are actually related is scary, I just don't understand how you can hate somebody so much just because you both share the same father"

"It's not all about that and you know it" Nathan scowled "His past actions prove that he isn't a great guy and you know that"

"Yeah well your past actions aren't exactly great either, are they?" Brooke bit back coldly.

Nathan groaned and put his head in his hands "I just don't want to see you hurt, Brooke" he admitted with a sigh "And I know that Lucas isn't good enough for you"

"That isn't up to you to decide" Brooke sighed "Why don't you get that?"

"Because I have stood by and watched you pick the wrong guys for years! Felix, Lucas, that college guy, Chase and now Lucas again"

"Felix and that guy from college do not count!" Brooke defended "And Chase was a good a guy, sure he made mistakes and he wasn't perfect but he was good to me and Grace for a long time"

"And Lucas?" Nathan questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Lucas is the only guy that I have ever been in love with, and that hasn't changed. I'm sorry that you don't like him, and I'm sorry if you think I'm betraying you, but Nathan I love him and I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and if you want to cut me out of your life because of that then go ahead" Brooke muttered tiredly "I don't have the energy to fight with you anymore"

"Just..." Nathan trailed also feeling defeated "Just be careful" he sighed "You know I will never cut you out of my life, Brooke. I made that mistake before, I'm not going to do it again"

"Thank you" Brooke said softly and walked towards him before wrapping her arms around him for a hug "Your opinion means a lot to me Nathan, believe it or not your feelings do matter to me"

"I know" Nathan sighed as he held her closely against him and moved his hand up and down her back "I just wish this was something we could agree on" he admitted.

"Me too" Brooke agreed but meaning the opposite to what Nathan was saying. "I do love you, you know, Nathan Scott" she said while pulling out of the hug.

Nathan sent her a small smile with a shrug "I guess I have to say that I love you too Brooke Davis" he smiled.

* * *

"I beat you again Daddy!" Grace squealed in delight as she once again won a race against her father on Mario Kart.

"That's not fair!" Lucas pouted "A banana got me like 10 times!" he argued causing Grace to giggle.

"It's not my fault you suck!" Grace teased as she climbed onto her Dad's lap. "Daddy" she started and Lucas smiled knowing that this would be the part when his cheeky daughter would ask for something.

"Yes Gracie?" he asked with a smirk, waiting for the request to happen.

"Can you buy me a puppy?" She asked getting straight to the point and smiled her Brooke Davis smile at him in hope.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head "And what on earth do you want a puppy for baby girl?" he asked curiously before tickling her sides.

"Ah stop it!" Grace screamed with laughter and Lucas did as he was told before the mini brunette continued "I want a puppy because Bethany from school has _two_!" she said in a gasp "And that's not fair if she gets two puppies and I don't get any!"

"But just because Bethany from school has a dog doesn't mean that you have to have one too" Lucas sighed knowing that Brooke would be much better to deal with the situation than he was. He knew that if Grace kept on doing what she was doing right now he would be at the local pet shop within the hour.

"But I want one" Grace pouted.

"And where exactly would we keep this dog?" Lucas questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"It can stay in my room!" Grace exclaimed "And I can look after it all on my own" she continued "I would feed it and wash it"

Lucas smiled at her reasoning but he knew Brooke would _kill_ him if he agreed to this. "I know baby, but who would look after it when you're at school? Because your Mother and I have work and it can't stay at home by itself all day"

"Aww" Grace moaned and Lucas could see the tears gathering in her eyes.

"Ah come on Gracie, don't cry" Lucas soothed as he rubbed his hand up and down her back comfortingly "How about I get you something else, huh? Like a fish or something"

"I already had a fish" Grace told him stubbornly "It was boring"

"Hey that's not true" Lucas argued with a smile "When I was little I had like 9 fish and I used to love watching them chase each other around the fish bowel" he explained.

"9 fish!" Grace gasped "How did they all fit in?"

"Because my Mom bought me this really big tank for my birthday one year" Lucas continued with a smile "And it had all these rocks and a plastic pirate ship inside, it was so cool, I used to pretend that I was captain hook and that the fish were my crew" he chuckled thinking about how stupid it was now, however he could see that Grace was interested in the story. "And all the fish used to swim in and out of the ship and chase each other around the tank and I got to feed them and everything"

"Do you still have them?" Grace asked curiously.

"Nah" Lucas shook his head as a small sad smile crept onto his face "That was a long time ago, a few of them died, but then when my Mom..." he trailed and shut his eyes thinking about his mother's death "When my mom..." he couldn't find the right words to explain the rest of the story and he could see Grace looking at him eagerly to finish off "When my mom moved away" he continued with a shaky breath "I had to give the fish away"

"Couldn't you take them with you?" Grace asked.

"Not where I went too baby" Lucas sighed thinking about the Foster Home he was placed in right after his mother's death. "So I don't really know what happened to them, but I do remember how cool they were to watch sometimes. And yes it got boring after a while, but they would always be there when I wanted to pretend to play with them. Not like a dog, a dog will _always_ be there and will _always _need your attention and care, but with fish...you feed them once or twice a day and clean it's tank out every few days and that's it"

"If I ask Mommy for some fish, will you buy me a big tank like the one you used to have?" Grace asked with a smile.

"Absolutely" Lucas smiled but then quickly warned "But only if your Mom says yes"

"Say yes to what?" Brooke asked with a smile as she walked into the room.

Lucas turned his head surprised, he hadn't even heard her come in "Hey" he greeted while standing up and putting Grace onto the ground while doing so. "How did it go?" he asked while looking for any signs from his _girlfriend_ to see if she was upset.

"Okay" Brooke shrugged "I will talk to you about it later" she continued while looking at Grace. Lucas nodded agreeing before walking over and placing a soft kiss on her lips. "So" Brooke started again "What do I have to say yes to?" she asked suspiciously.

"Daddy said he will buy me a fish!" Grace explained excitedly as she tugged onto Brooke's arm eagerly "Please say yes Mommy!" she begged.

"A fish?" Brooke asked and sent a raised eyebrow in Lucas' direction "Didn't we already used to have one of those?" she asked Grace "And if I remember correctly you didn't like it so I had to take it back to the pet store" she reminisced causing Lucas to let out a small chuckle.

"Yes but that was a boring fish, Daddy is going to buy me a _huge _tank and we are going to put pirate ships and rocks and everything inside it for the fishies to play with!" Grace explained excitedly.

"A huge tank, huh?" she asked with her eyebrows raised "And where exactly will this _huge_ tank go?"

"In my bedroom!" Grace told her in a duh tone.

"Did you put her up to this?" Brooke asked Lucas suspiciously.

"Hey!" Lucas defended "It was either the fish or a puppy!"

"Fish it is!" Brooke immediately grinned in fake excitement causing Lucas to laugh.

"Yey!" Grace jumped up and down excitedly "Can we name one of them Nemo? I always wanted to name a fish Nemo!"

"Sure sweetie, we can call them whatever you want" Brooke smiled "Hey I know, why don't you go and call Uncle Nathan and tell him about the fish?" she told her with a smile as she pulled out her cell phone "I'm sure he will want to hear all about it, and I know that he has been dying to talk to you all day" she told her while pressing Nathan's number into her cell.

"Okay" Grace grinned excitedly as she placed Brooke's cell phone against her ear before skipping out of the room, a loud "Uncle Nathan guess what!" being heard as she ran towards her bedroom.

"In my defence, I told her to get fish because she was insisting I should buy her a puppy" Lucas smiled as he wrapped his arms around Brooke's waist and kissed her forehead softly "How did things go with Nathan?" he asked curiously.

Brooke sighed as she pulled away and took Lucas' hand before leading him to the couch where they both took a seat "He wasn't too pleased" she admitted with a dry laugh "But that was to be expected I guess" she mumbled.

"Was he angry?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah" Brooke nodded "But..." she trailed "He reacted better than I thought he would" she admitted.

"Really?" Lucas asked surprised, knowing that out of everyone he thought Nathan would be the one to over-react and cause trouble about their reunion.

"Yeah" Brooke continued "I mean sure he was mad, but he was still pretty supportive once he calmed down. Don't get me wrong, he isn't going to be our number one fan and he probably wont hide the fact that he doesn't like it, but he's not going to try and get in our way of being together" she smiled.

"Good" Lucas smiled knowing that Nathan's opinion mattered a lot to Brooke, even though in all honesty he couldn't give a damn about what his half brother thinks. "Actually..." Lucas started with a small cringe appearing on his face.

"What is it?" Brooke asked with a small frown as she noticed his face expression change.

"You kind of had a visitor today, and I may have accidentally spilled the beans about the two of us getting back together" he sighed.

"Who?" Brooke asked curiously.

"Rachel" Lucas told her "And it wasn't the most pleasant conversation" he admitted.

"Why? What happened?" Brooke asked frowning.

"She basically told me that I wasn't good enough for you" Lucas sighed "And that in the end, all I do is hurt you and that someday you will realise it too"

"That's not true" Brooke told him seriously "I love you"

"But what if she's right?" Lucas asked quietly "What if all I will ever do is bring you and Grace down"

"Are you kidding me?" Brooke asked in disbelief "Lucas look at me" she continued sternly as she placed her hands on each side of his face forcing him to look at her "You and Grace are the best things that has ever happened to me, without you I wouldn't have my precious daughter and get the chance to be in love, you are the only guy I have ever been in love with and nothing is going to change that. Grace _adores_ you and sure you may not have had the best start" she said with a small laugh "But you are an amazing dad to her"

Lucas smiled softly before Brooke closed the gap between them and kissed him softly "I'm going to be having words with Rachel when I see her" she muttered with a sigh as she leaned her head against Lucas' chest.

"Just leave it" Lucas told her as he ran his fingers through Brooke's soft locks. "I don't even care what anybody else thinks"

"I know" Brooke agreed "But she has no right to say that to you"

"It doesn't matter, you know how much of a bitch Rachel can be"

"It does matter" Brooke told him in a firm tone "You shouldn't have to feel like you aren't good enough for us just because she decided to talk a load of crap"

"Like I said before, I don't really give a damn about what anybody says or does apart from you and Gracie" Lucas told her honestly "So just forget about it, don't let her get you down Pretty Girl" he smiled.

Brooke nodded into his chest and let a small smile creep onto her lips "I love you" she breathed out softly.

Lucas grinned before leaning down and pecking her softly on the lips "I love you too" he replied with a smile as he leaned back against the couch. This was what he had always wanted, him and Brooke together, with Grace. He didn't care about what Nathan and Rachel or what anyone else had to say about him, as long as he had his two girls, he was happy.

* * *

**A/N: I hoped you liked the chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter.**

**Sara x**


	42. Makes You Happy

**Lose Yourself**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill.**

* * *

"Lucas stop it" Brooke smiled as Lucas pulled her over on top of him while they he was lying in bed, Brooke attempting to leave. "Grace will be up here any minute" she whispered.

"Just 5 more minutes" Lucas smiled as he leaned forward and kissed her passionately, his hands travelling down her back. "You can be late for work can't you?" he mumbled against her lips.

"Yes" Brooke answered as she attempted to lift herself off from her boyfriend again only to be pulled back down against his bare chest. "But Grace can't be late for school"

"She can" Lucas smiled before continuing to kiss her. Brooke gave in as she reluctantly kissed him back but it was only when she felt Lucas tugging on the bottom of her skirt that made her pull away "Luke" she laughed "I need to go to work. I only came back up here to say goodbye" she smirked.

"And it was a very good bye indeed" Lucas grinned as he slowly sat up, Brooke shifting to sitting on his knees as he did so.

"You also need to put some clothes on" Brooke noticed "If Grace comes up here she will be scarred for life" she said while she rolled off him and sat on the edge of the bed.

Lucas chuckled and nodded his head agreeing as he reached down onto the floor and rummaged his clothes for his shorts before slipping them on under the quilt. "If you wait 10 minutes I will drop both you and Gracie off?" he suggested while climbing off the bed and picking up his clothes from the day before.

"We are already late enough as it is" Brooke pointed out as she stood up, straightening herself out while looking into the mirror.

"Which means that an extra 5 minutes wont make much difference" Lucas smiled as he slipped into his jeans before pulling his t-shirt over his head "You go and make sure Grace is ready while I go to the bathroom and wait for me in my car" he smiled as he came up behind Brooke and pecked the side of her head. "I won't be long" he finished before leaving the room.

Brooke smiled as she watched her boyfriend leave before leaving the room herself to try and drag her daughter away from the TV. It had been a couple of weeks since she and Lucas had gotten back together and she hadn't felt _this_ happy in a long long time. For the first time in her life she felt safe and secure and loved and appreciated and she hoped it wouldn't change.

* * *

"Knock knock" Nathan smiled as he appeared at Haley's classroom door at Tree Hill High School.

"Nathan" Haley looked up at him surprised "What are you doing here?" she asked, knowing that the brunette Scott rarely ever entered the main school building unless he had to, apparently most of the teachers there were here when he was a student and they all hated him, but Haley had a feeling it was the other way around.

Nathan shrugged as he walked into the classroom and leaned back against one of the desks on the front row opposite from Haley's desk "I was just passing by and thought I would stop in to say hello..." he trailed.

"Right" Haley nodded with a smile knowing that that probably wasn't the case "Do you have a busy schedule today?" she asked curiously.

"Hm a little" Nathan answered "But actually...I didn't come here to talk about school stuff"

"Well I thought you were just passing by..." Haley smirked.

Nathan let out a light chuckle and shook his head "Well no, not exactly" he admitted "I just wanted to know if you were doing anything tonight..."

"Well I have a pile of essays that need marking" Haley told him "Why? Do you want to make plans with me?"

Nathan smiled as he dug his hands deep into his pockets nervously, he didn't know why he was always so nervous around Haley, he could pick up any girl he wanted to in a club with just a few sweets words, but with Haley James it was always a different matter. "I guess I do..."

"You just guess?" Haley smirked with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, I definitely want to make plans with you" Nathan smiled.

"Well it's about time"

Nathan grinned "How about I pick you up at like 7? We can hang at Tric or something..."

"Tric" Haley nodded with a sigh "Okay, sure"

"You don't sound impressed..." Nathan pointed out with a small frown gracing his lips.

"No it's not that" Haley quickly shook her head "I just...nothing" she said while forcing a smile onto her lips "It sounds like fun, I will be ready" she said just as the bell rang and it didn't take long for the students to pile into the classroom.

"Okay" Nathan nodded "I will see you at 7 then?"

"Yep" Haley agreed as she watched Nathan leave the classroom. It wasn't that she wasn't pleased that Nathan had in someway asked her out, but Tric? They went there _all _the time and she knew she was asking for too much, but part of her had hoped that Nathan would want to take her somewhere special, but obviously that wasn't meant to be.

* * *

Brooke looked up from the counter in her store and smiled when she saw Lucas enter "Hello there" she grinned "What can I do for you?"

Lucas smiled as he approached the counter "I'm looking for a Brooke Davis?" he teased.

"Ah she's not here at the moment" Brooke smirked "Can I take a message?"

"Yeah" Lucas grinned as he jumped up and leaned across the counter "You can give her this for me" he whispered before slowly attaching his lips onto hers in a slow soft kiss.

Brooke pulled away wistfully and placed her hands on each side of his face before lightly kissing him again on the lips "I will definitely pass that on" she grinned.

"Thank you" Lucas smiled as he leaned back down onto the ground.

Brooke looked over to her assistant who was stocking shelves before shouting over "Millie can you watch the store for a little while?" she called out.

"Sure" Millicent replied with a smile.

"Thanks. Oh and I don't want to be disturbed!" Brooke called before grabbing Lucas' hand from over the counter and walked alongside him until they met at the side and pulled him into her office.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lucas whispered into her ear huskily as he shut the office door behind them.

"I hope so" Brooke replied before pressing her lips hard against his as she pushes him backwards and they both fall onto the long leather couch that is placed at the side of the room before Brooke climbed onto his lap and continued to kiss him. She tugged on the bottom of his shirt before lifting it higher for Lucas to remove, he does but soon after he slowly pulled away.

"Are we going to do this here?" he asked breathlessly and when Brooke nods with a sneaky smile he knows that he wouldn't be able to object even if he wanted to. So he flips her over onto her back and secures himself on top of her. His lips leave hers in favour of her neck as he begins to suck lightly causing Brooke to let out a quiet moan. His lips travel further down and onto her collarbone before he quickly removes her top and her bra with his hands in one go, much to the surprise of his girlfriend who let out an amused gasp. His kisses trail downwards, through the bridge of her breasts and down onto her stomach before an impatient Brooke grabs his head with both her hands and brings them back up to her lips needing to feel him against her.

Brooke fumbles with the zippers of his jeans before attempting to push them down, prompting Lucas to help her out while discarding her skirt almost at the same time. "I don't want to wait Luke" she whispers out of breath against his lips and Lucas nods his head before removing his shorts.

"You ready?" he asks while leaning his head down and kissing her neck softly.

"Mhm" Brooke mumbles huskily with a nod and a loud moan escapes her lips as she feels Lucas enter inside her.

* * *

"Hey Millicent" Rachel smiles as she enters the store "Sorry I'm late" she quickly apologised as she made her way around the counter and took off her coat and bag "Where's Brooke?" she asked curiously as she looked around the store.

"Oh she's out back" Millicent explained with a small smile creeping onto her lips as she served the customer in front of her "She asked not to be disturbed"

"Hm" Rachel frowned suspiciously as she saw a knowing smile creep onto her colleagues lips "She left you to look after this place on your own?" she asked surprised as she noticed how busy things were at the moment, Rachel immediately opening up her own till to serve the long line of customers.

"I guess she figuired you would be here soon" Millicent shrugged deciding to leave out the detail of Lucas also being back there with her. "Oh no" she immediately cringed when she saw Victoria approaching the door.

"What?" Rachel asked confused and turned her head around just in time to see a very unpleasant looking Victoria enter the store. "Great" she muttered before plastering on the fake smile "Mrs Davis" she smiled politely "What are you doing here today?" she asked.

"I'm looking for my daughter" Victoria said in her normal icy tone "Is she here?" she asked impatiently.

Millicent said a wary glance in Victoria's direction and then towards Rachel, trying to warn her with her eyes not to answer however the redhead had already opened her mouth.

"Yes she's back in her office" Rachel replied "But I think she is busy..." she trailed however Victoria ignored her as she walked around the counter and headed towards the back of the store towards Brooke's office.

"Brooke wha-" She started as she swung the door open however immediately came to a halt when she saw her daughter standing half naked in the middle of the office with Lucas standing in only his shorts with his arms wrapped around her looking over at her in shock and embarrasment. "Get dressed!" she spat in a disgusted tone before turning around and loudly slamming the door behind her.

"Oh my god!" Brooke cringed embarrassingly as she quickly scrambled around the room in search of her clothes. "I can't believe that just happened!"

Lucas chuckled and approached her from behind, wrapping his arms back around her waist and kissing her shoulder softly "At least she didn't come in 10 minutes earlier" he smirked.

Brooke gasped and turned around before slapping his shoulder "Do not laugh at this! Have you met my Mother!"

"Yes actually" Lucas grinned "Which is why I find this even more amusing"

"No it is not funny Lucas!" Brooke glared at him as she pulled her shirt over her head quickly "She is going to _kill_ me"

"She did look kinda pissed..." he trailed with a smile.

Brooke rolled her eyes as she slipped back into her shirt and picked up Lucas' jeans and t-shirt before throwing them against his chest "Put some clothes on" she commanded him before leaving the office and a laughing Lucas behind.

Brooke walked out into the store and straightened out her rumpled skirt as she did so. "What the hell happened?" Rachel's voice stopped her gaze as the brunette's eyes flickered around the store for Victoria.

"What?" Brooke asked startled and Rachel raised her eyebrow at her startled and distracted state.

"Victoria just stormed outta here, and she looked well pissed off" Rachel explained "What did you do?" she asked curiously.

"I-" Brooke started but there was no need to explain when Lucas came up behind her.

Rachel frowned "Oh I see" she muttered "A quickie in the back of your store Brooke? How classy"

Brooke glared at her "Like you haven't done it in worse places" she fired back.

"Yeah Rachel" Lucas smirked "You seem to have a nerve judging Brooke, she isn't the slut around here, after all"

"Shut it Scott" Rachel hissed at him coldly "I wasn't talking to _you_"

Brooke groaned "Will you stop talking to him like that?" she asked in annoyance "Just give it a rest Rachel" she muttered. "Okay?" she warned when she saw that Rachel was about to argue.

"Fine whatever" Rachel mumbled quietly.

"Now get back to work" Brooke muttered "I am your boss, _remember_" she told her causing Rachel to mutter something under her breath before turning her attention away from them both.

"You certainly told her" Lucas smirked as he leaned against the counter.

"Yeah well she's being a bitch" Brooke replied "And my Mom is going to completely slaughter me next time she sees me"

Lucas chuckled and nodded his head agreeing "Now that I think about it, it was pretty bad. But then again...it's also pretty funny" he smiled.

Despite her better judgement Brooke couldn't help but let out a small laugh in agreement "Okay" she said with a sigh "I guess I can see the amusing side to it" she agreed.

"That's my girl" Lucas smirked as he brought her body against his and wrapped his arms around her tightly while Brooke rested her head against his chest.

* * *

"Hello again " Jake smirked as he walked into the store and winked at Brooke who rolled her eyes in a disgusted manner.

"What the hell do you want Jake?" Brooke asked annoyed "Lucas is just out back" she warned and looked to her right to see Rachel sending her a confused glance.

"Oh I'm scared" Jake chuckled.

"Hey Jagelski!" Rachel shouted as she approached the duo "I didn't take you for the type to be a cross dresser" she said in a cold tone.

"Sorry to disapoint, but not a cross dresser, just looking for some good company" Jake grinned while turning back at Brooke.

"What the hell do you want Jake?" Brooke asked him seriously "This is starting to get really creepy"

"What is?" Lucas asked curiously as he walked out the backroom with two cups of coffee in his hands before immediately coming to a halt when he saw Jake standing there looking at him smugly "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked angrily.

"I've come to see Brooke actually" Jake smirked.

Lucas glanced at Brooke confused as hell and she turned back to Jake in frustration "I don't know what the hell your problem is Jake but would you please just leave me alone!"

Jake chuckled and Lucas frowned as he put down the mugs and walked around the counter to come face to face with his old alliance "Has he bothered you before?" he asked Brooke but kept his eyes firmly on Jake.

"It's nothing Lucas" Brooke sighed not wanting to cause any trouble, however she could see from the look on her boyfriends face that he was not happy. Not happy at all. "Just tell him to leave, forget it" she tried again.

"What are you doing Jake?" Lucas asked him coldly "You aren't wanted here, now you better leave before you make me do something I will regret" he threatened.

"Lucas" Brooke tried to cut in however Jake's voice cut her off.

"What's wrong Luke? You jealous?" Jake asked with a smirk.

"Jealous of you?" Lucas asked amused "No way man, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You look pathetic! You _are _pathetic!" he spat "Now get the fuck out of this store now before I make you, and believe me, you do not want that to happen" he warned.

Jake forced out a chuckle as he took a step away from Lucas "Alright" he said with a false smile "I'm leaving" he said looking over at Brooke before turning around and walking towards the door.

"Hey Jake!" Lucas shouted after him and watched as Jake slowly turned around "You stay the hell away from my girlfriend, you here me?"

Jake however didn't reply as he turned back around and left the store leaving a confused and annoyed Lucas behind. "What the hell has been going on Brooke?" he asked bewildered at why Jake Jagelski was hanging around his girlfriend.

Brooke sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly, she had been trying to keep this from Lucas as she knew he would react like this "I don't know" she admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me he was bothering you?" Lucas asked confused and also a little annoyed that she hadn't told him.

"Because it was nothing!" Brooke defended "I think he was just trying to be clever by attempting to annoy me to get to you, I don't know what he was thinking or why he kept on coming here but it doesn't matter Luke"

"It does matter!" Lucas argued "Brooke the guy has been practically stalking you and you couldn't even tell me?"

"He hasn't been stalking me!" Brooke defended "You know what he is like, Lucas, he likes to get a reaction out of people, it's what he does, I just didn't want to rise to it by running to you, which would have been exactly what he would have wanted to happen!"

Lucas grunted and rubbed the back of his neck in frustration "You still should have told me"

"Well I didn't" Brooke sighed "So can you just try and forget it? This is all that Jake wants and you are letting him have it"

"For once she's actually right" Rachel cut into the conversation surprising both Brooke and Lucas who seemed to forget that anybody else was around, even though they were standing in a clothing store with customers all around the place. "All Jake wants is a reaction, he's probably bored and is looking for something to do, and it's kind of obvious that the guy doesn't have any friends so what better way to entertain himself than trying to get back at you?" she suggested in a shrug. "He was just going through Brooke to do it because he knows she's what makes you react the most"

"Yeah" Brooke agreed "That's all he is trying to do Luke"

"I know" Lucas sighed and sent his girlfriend a small smile "I'm sorry for snapping. He just makes me so mad sometimes, you know?"

"I know. But you were right when you called him pathetic, that's what he is, so just ignore him and don't rise to him, okay? Because if you do you are doing exactly what he wants you to do" She told him honestly and Lucas nodded his head agreeing before leaning over the counter and pecking her softly on the lips .

"Anyway" he continued as he looked down at his watch "I have to go and pick Gracie up from school, you want us to come back here straight after?" he asked.

"Nah" Brooke shook her head "Take her back to your place for a bit or to the park or something, I will call you when to pick me up" she told him "Millicent had to leave early so I need to stay here another couple of hours" she explained.

"Alright" Lucas nodded before taking a couple of steps back "See you soon then Pretty Girl" he smirked.

"Bye Boyfriend" Brooke grinned as she watched him leave.

"You guys make me sick" Rachel muttered before making a gagging noise causing Brooke to let out a small laugh.

"Jealousy is a very ugly trait Rach" she joked amused before turning her attention to a customer that just approached her, missing the look of annoyance and eye rolling coming from the feisty red head.

* * *

"I feel so bad" Haley confessed as she sat on the couch in Brooke's living room later on that night, a glass of refilled red wine placed in her hands "I shouldn't have cancelled on Nathan tonight, it was selfish and stupid of me. I mean, now that I think about it, he probably wasn't even asking me out on a date but just out as friends, so of course he would take me to Tric!"

Brooke let out a small laugh despite the sulk on her friends face "Do you want me to talk to him for you?" she asked smiling.

"No! No!" Haley quickly stopped her "Please don't!"

"Okay, okay I won't" Brooke chuckled "But you guys need to sort this out soon, I mean, I feel like you are both going round in circles here!"

"I know!" Haley agreed eagerly "It's just so...so...stupid!"

"What excuse did you give him?" Brooke asked amused.

"I told him that I had a ton of essays that needed marking, not thinking that it's _Friday_ and have the whole weekend to do that!" Haley told her, shaking her head at herself in disbelief.

"And what did he say?" Brooke asked curiously.

"Nothing much really" Haley sighed "Just a few mumbles here and there and that maybe we should do it another time, to which I quickly said yes before hanging up on him" she confessed causing Brooke to let out another laugh. "Hey!" Haley shouted at her "Stop laughing at me, just because _your_ love life seems to be going well at the moment doesn't mean you can laugh at mine!" she scolded.

"Sorry" Brooke chuckled but then raised her eyebrow "Oh hang on, so Nathan is a part of your _love life_ now is he?" she teased with a smirk.

"Oh shut up Davis!" Haley bit back before lifting up a cushion and throwing it off one of her best friends causing Brooke laugh even louder. "Anyway" Haley continued "Speaking of your love life, how are things going with _Lucas_?" she asked curiously with a smirk resting on her lips.

Brooke smiled as she leaned back against the couch and sighed happily "Really really good actually" she admitted with a grin "He is just so...amazing!"

"Good" Haley smiled, extremely pleased for the brunnette "I'm glad, you really deserve happiness, and you, Lucas and Grace deserve to be a family"

"Thank you" Brooke told her gratefully "You seem to be one of the very few people to think that though"

"Nathan?" Haley asked with a small cringe.

"And Peyton and Rachel and Mouth and Victoria...." Brooke trailed with a sigh "Nobody seems to understand that Lucas is not going to hurt me again"

"Mouth?" Haley asked surprised, normally he was one of the ones out of their large group of friends that was able to take a step back from every situation and look at it from all angles. She thought that if anyone else apart from her would be rooting for Brooke to be happy with Lucas then it would be Marvin McFadden.

"Yeah I know" Brooke sighed "And he isn't reacting like the others have, he actually hasn't said anything bad about Lucas, but I saw it in his face when I told him that we were back together, he was wary"

"He is probably just worried about you" Haley said defending her friend "You know he has always had a soft spot for you" she smiled.

"Yeah and me for him" Brooke agreed knowing that she shared a special bond with that guy. "But I wish he would be a little more supportive, you know?"

"I know" Haley agreed "But honestly Brooke, I _am_ happy for you, and for Lucas too" she told her honestly "He obviously makes you happy just like it's blindingly obvious that you make him happy"

"Thanks Hales" Brooke told her appreciatively "Now if only we got Nathan to stop acting like a dumb-ass for 5 minutes then maybe you guys could be happy again" she suggested with a smile.

"Please" Haley scoffed with a small smile lingering on her lips "I have been waiting 5 years for Nathan Scott to stop acting like a dumb-ass and it still hasn't happened" she said with a small laugh "So don't hold your breath"

* * *

"Jake"

Jake turned around from his place standing alone at the dark River Court and looked over at the figure emerging from the shadows with a smirk "I got your text" he said smugly "I knew it wouldn't take you long to come meet me"

"That's right" Lucas agreed as he approached the smaller guy and looked around the court "But we cant do this here" he told him "It's too open and I don't want anybody to see us"

"That's never stopped you from dealing before" Jake pointed out "You didn't give a shit where we dealt before, whether it be in broad daylight or whatever"

"Yeah well things are different now" Lucas replied in a plain tone "I'm more careful and less stupid to deal drugs in public"

Jake eyed him up and down suspiciously as he placed his hands into his pockets "You got the cash?" he asked.

"You got the weed?" Lucas fired back without answering Jake's question.

"When have I ever let you down" Jake smirked.

"I can think of a few times actually" Lucas hit back once more as he again looked around with his eyes "Come on" he said motioning for Jake to follow him as he started walking towards the trees.

"Don't be stupid man, there is nobody about!" Jake shouted after him causing Lucas to turn around.

"Do you really think I want to risk the chance of getting caught being seen with you?" Lucas asked in disbelief "I have built up too much to let that happen"

"Alright" Jake chuckled "Fair enough" he continued as he began to follow Lucas into the woods "But don't you think Brooke is going to find out eventually what you are up to again? I know one thing about that girl, and that is that she aint stupid, or least not as stupid as she looks" he smirked.

"No that's right" Lucas agreed as they continued to walk through the darkness of the woods "She's not stupid" he said while turning around "But you certainly are"

"What?" Jake asked confused.

"What?" Lucas repeated his words again with a smirk "Do you really think that I wanted to do a deal with you?" he asked with a laugh "Did you believe for a second that I would risk everything I have with Brooke and my daughter just for a few bags of weed?" he asked shaking his head with a chuckle "I told you when you came back to Tree Hill that I was done with all that shit and I meant it"

"Then...then what is _this_?" Jake stuttered confused as he looked around the dark trees stunned.

"This?" Lucas asked with a smile as he took a step closer to his old friend "This is my second official warning" he told him before raising his fist and slamming it into Jake's face causing the light haired brunette to gasp in pain and stumble backwards. Lucas slammed his fist into his face again and then once more causing Jake to crash back onto the mud and twigs that were beneath them. Lucas sprung his foot back before slamming it into Jake's stomach before repeating it again for the second time. Lucas crouched down onto his knees and grabbed a handful of Jake's hair as he lifted up his head "Now you listen to me" he started as Jake panted in pain and looked at Lucas stunned and fearful "You stay the hell away from Brooke and my family, and you stay away from me. If I ever see you within a metre of Brooke or my daughter, _this_" he said motioning to what he had just done "Will be _nothing _compared to what I will do to you next time" he warned menacingly before standing up "Now don't make me tell you three times Jake" he finished with a threat before leaning back down and pulling out the small bags of weed from Jake's pocket and emptying the packets on top of him.

"What the fuck man! I need that!" Jake hissed out in pain as he watched all his weed scatter onto the ground and mixing in with the grass and mud. He slowly crawled onto his knees and pleaded with Lucas to stop it who ignored him and continued to empty the packets out until there was nothing less.

Lucas let out a scoff at the man on his knees before him, scrambling around the mud trying to savour as much of the drugs as he could, however it was useless. "I told you" he muttered "You are pathetic!" he spat coldly and scrunched up the empty bags in his hands and throwed them at him before turning around and walked out of the woods leaving Jake to scramble around alone.

Lucas walked towards his car and got inside, glad not to be out in the cold air any longer. He reached over to the dashboard and pulled out a picture of Brooke and Grace together and smiled down at it before raising it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss against the photograph. He placed it back down on the dashboard before turning on his engine and speeding away, knowing that if he was smart enough, this would be the last time he would be seeing Jake around for a while.

* * *

**A/N: Well? I hope you liked it. Don't be too surprised at Lucas at the end there, I think a lot of you knew that his High School self was still there in him somewhere. I hope I haven't made him out to be a bad person here but just a guy simply trying to protect his family but in Lucas Scott style.**

**Please review and let me know what you think, I loved your reviews from the last chapter, they always inspire me to right more and I really appreciate them.**

**Thanks guys!**

**Sara x**


	43. Merry Christmas

**

* * *

**

Lose Yourself

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from One Tree Hill.**

**A/N: Hey guys, hope it didn't take too long to update.**

**Also, I have started a new story called A Day In My Life, it's Brucas (of course) and it's different to anything I have written before. So, please read it :) I think I only have like 3 reviews for it so I'm not sure if people are reading it and if people aren't I probably wont continue it.**

* * *

"Come on Gracie eat your veggies" Lucas told his daughter firmly as the two sat down at Keith's kitchen table eating their dinner.

"But I don't want to" Grace pouted as she shuffled the greens around her plate "They don't taste that good"

"I know" Lucas agreed "But they are good for you and you need to eat them, besides, Santa loves kids who eat their vegetables" he pointed out in a matter of fact tone. It was the day before Christmas Eve and Lucas could admit that he was excited to spend his first Christmas with daughter. It had also been a couple of weeks since he warned Jake away from his family and the guy was obviously smart enough to listen to his warning as he had not seen nor heard from Jake Jagelski since that night in the woods and he was hoping it would stay that way.

"Does he really?" Grace asked suspiciuously "Because Aunt Rachel told me once that sometimes adults say things to make us do things, but they aren't actually true" she told her father with a hint suspicion in her voice.

Lucas rolled his eyes thinking about Rachel's comments before answering "You shouldn't listen to Rachel, she doesn't know anything" he said with a small smile "However Santa does love his veggies, so I would eat up if I were you Princess" he warned.

"Aw" Grace moaned with a pout before reluctantly placing a spoon full of peas in her mouth. "Are we going to Grandpa Dan's for Christmas again this year?" she asked curiously and Lucas almost choked on his food by the question. Brooke spends Christmas with Dan Scott?!

* * *

"So...what time do you want me to come and pick you up on Christmas morning?" Nathan asked curiously as he leaned against the counter in Brooke's store.

"Ah" Brooke mumbled with a cringe and let out a small nervous smile "You see...the thing is...well..."

"You're going to spend Christmas with Lucas" Nathan muttered finishing off the sentence for her and let out a sigh of annoyance when he saw Brooke nod her head in agreement. "Brooke" he started "We have spent every Christmas together since Grace was born, why do you need to stop now just because that jackass decided to show up?"

Brooke rolled her eyes at his description of her boyfriend before answering "It's his first Christmas with Grace, and I want to spend it with him too"

"So what? Just forget about me then!" Nathan hissed coldly.

"It's not like you're going to be alone, you will have your whole family" she stated. It was true, every Christmas Brooke and Grace would accompany Nathan to the Scott family home where they would have their meal with pretty much his entire family, Dan, Deb, Keith, Royal, May, Cooper and all his other aunties and uncles and cousins that were related to Dan or Deb. Even Larry and Peyton Sawyer joined them a couple of times, Larry being a family friend of the Scott's.

"You know it wont be the same" Nathan huffed "I can't believe you are just ditching me for Lucas, you know how much I love spending Christmas with you and Grace"

"I know and I'm sorry" she told him sincerely "You don't know how hard it was for me to decide, but it wouldn't be fair to Lucas to not to spend the day with him"

"Like hell" Nathan spat coldly "He doesn't deserve to spend it with you"

"Oh and let him spend the day alone? Keith will be at Dan's house so it's not like he can spend it with him either. I'm sorry Nathan but I'm not going to let him be alone on Christmas day"

"And what about Grace? Where does she fit into all of this?" Nathan asked.

"What about her?" Brooke asked confused "She loves Lucas, she wants to open her presents with him"

"But she also loves spending time with her family, spending time with my younger cousins, you know that!"

"Well she gets to spend the day with her Dad instead" Brooke argued "I'm not going to change my mind Nathan, no matter what you tell me"

"Okay..." Nathan started with a sigh and rubbed the back of his head nervously "Okay" he spoke again "What if...what if Lucas comes too" he finally let out with a frown.

Brooke looked at him surprised "What?"

"Lucas can come too" Nathan repeated "If he wants to spend the day with you and Grace so badly then why doesn't he come with us to my parent's house" he shrugged "Besides, Keith will be there too"

"Yeah" Brooke agreed with a frown "And Dan, and Royal and May and everyone else who abandoned him as a child and haven't bothered to even speak to him for the last 22 years of his life. I'm sure he would love it!" she spat with sarcasm.

"Well then maybe now is the time to get to know them?" Nathan shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Are you being serious Nathan?" Brooke asked him in disbelief "You can't expect Lucas to do that. He wont _want_ to do that!"

"If he wants to spend Christmas day with you and Grace as much as he says he does then he will" Nathan fired back causing Brooke to again roll her eyes.

"You are unbelievable" Brooke muttered "This isn't a test Nathan! I am not spending Christmas day with you and your family and that's final" she told him sternly.

"Fine" Nathan muttered as he leaned back away from the counter and Brooke could see that he was ready to leave "If you and Lucas want to be selfish and do something different to what Grace has done and loved for all her life then fine, you two do that. But the offer is still there if you change your mind" he told her with a frown before turning around and leaving the store before Brooke could get another word in.

Brooke watched him go in disbelief, she cannot believe that Nathan even had the nerve to suggest Lucas coming to Dan's house, after everything that man has done to him, after everything that Nathan himself has done! Unbelievable, she thought, it was typical Nathan and for once she just wished that he would even try to consider thinking about things from Lucas' point of view.

* * *

"Ah you must be freezing!" Brooke smiled as Grace and Lucas walked into her house later that night. "Why don't we get you dressed for bed huh?" she asked Grace with a smile as she unzipped her big pink puffy coat and pulled her gloves from her hands.

"It's not that cold Mommy" Grace told her seriously as she took off her own shoes "It would be colder if it snowed" she pointed out "Is it going to snow on Christmas day Mommy?" she asked excitedly.

"Uh I don't think so baby girl" Brooke told her sadly with a small smile "Go on, go to your room and get changed into your PJ's and then we can watch a movie or something" she told her with a smile and Grace nodded her head with a smile before running up the stairs. "Hmm...hello boyfriend" Brooke smirked as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, who had been standing by the door unusually quiet for some reason. She lightly pecked his lips before pulling away confused when she noticed he barely kissed her back "Okay, what's wrong?" she asked confused and also suspicious.

Lucas shrugged as he pulled off his hat from his head and shook his head "Nothing is wrong" he answered simply as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Well something obviously is" Brooke pointed out with a frown as she followed him into the other room. "Lucas?" she asked again noticing the blonde had yet to answer.

"Okay fine" Lucas muttered with a sigh before turning around to face his girlfriend "I didn't know you spend Christmas day with Dan" he said in a plain tone.

Brooke let out a loud sigh and ran her fingers nervously through her hair "It's actually not like that" she said getting ready to defend herself "I spend it with Nathan"

"With Nathan" Lucas mused with a nod "And Dan...and Deb and the rest of the _happy_ _Scott_ family" he muttered sarcastically.

"Don't do that" Brooke muttered coldly "Don't try and turn this against me. You weren't here, Luke, remember, what did you expect me to do? Spend my Christmas day alone with a baby every year?"

Lucas' eyes immediately softened and he let out a defeated groan "Okay" he gave in slightly "But...I...what are your plans this year? Because Grace seems to think she is going back to _Grandpa Dan's _house" he muttered.

"I told you" Brooke said sternly "We are going to spend the day with you, as a family" she said softly as she slowly walked towards him and ran her hands up and down his arms soothingly "Forget about Dan, forget about them all, this is just about you me and Grace"

"But Grace wants to go there" Lucas sighed "She told me herself, she told me about all these cousins she has that I have never even heard of" he muttered bitterly. "I just..." he trailed before deciding not to continue.

"It's time for a change" Brooke told him firmly "Okay? And you are going to stay here with me tonight, and then again tomorrow and we are going to wake up _way_ too early on Christmas morning and watch our daughter open up all her presents, and then you are going to watch me attempt to cook some really lame attempt at Christmas dinner before we end up trying to find some takeout that is open on Christmas Day" she smiled.

Lucas let out a small chuckle at the thought of Brooke trying to cook them a full meal but that didn't stop the nagging feeling he felt in the back of his mind about how he was disturbing Grace's traditions. "Are you sure? Because I don't want to ruin her Christmas"

"You wont" Brooke sighed "You are one of the best things that has ever happened to her" she smiled as she let her arms move upwards and wrap around his neck, her fingers lightly trailing the edge of his hair. "I love you" she spoke softly.

Lucas nodded his head and leaned in to kiss her softly "I love you too" he mumbled against her lips before reattaching his lips back against hers.

* * *

"What do you mean Lucas is coming?" Nathan asked annoyed as he stood at the bar in Peyton's kitchen. Every Christmas Eve Peyton would always invite over some friends for a Christmas party to get them all in the festive mood.

"I mean I invited Brooke who then in turn invited Lucas" Peyton told him while rolling her eyes as she poured a bag of chips into a bowl just as she heard the doorbell ring "Now behave tonight okay Nate, I mean it" she warned before leaving the kitchen and walking to answer the door to greet some more guests.

"Great" Nathan muttered as he took a large gulp out of his beer just as Haley entered the room.

"Oh...hey" Haley mumbled as she walked across the kitchen to pour herself a drink "I didn't know you were in here"

"Well you cant see people when your avoiding them, can you?" Nathan pointed out with a frown.

"I'm not avoiding you" Haley defended quickly "I've just been...busy"

"Right" Nathan nodded not really believing her "Busy doing what?" he challenged.

"Stuff" Haley answered reluctantly "What's it got to do with you?"

"Nothing" Nathan shrugged "It's got nothing to do with me, at all, I was just...saying"

"Right" Haley repeated his earlier word "Well, next time try not to _say_ anything at all" she sighed before grabbing her drink and leaving the room.

"Great" Nathan muttered to himself "So it's like that..." he sighed before taking another large gulp out of his beer. He needed to get drunk tonight.

* * *

"I don't even like Peyton" Lucas muttered as he and Brooke walked up towards Peyton's apartment. "And I know for a _fact_ that she doesn't like me" he pointed out.

Brooke smiled as she turned around outside Peyton's door and wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck "Please, can you just be nice tonight? For me?" she pouted.

"I'm always nice" Lucas replied with a smirk causing Brooke to roll her eyes.

"Right and Nathan is your best friend" she told him with a smirk to match his.

"That's funny" he said sarcastically before leaning forward and pecking her lips lightly "Promise me you wont leave me alone for too long tonight?" he asked with a smile.

"I promise" Brooke agreed before leaning closer and pressing her lips against his for a slow soft kiss.

"Gross"

The pair turned around to see Peyton standing at her door unimpressed. Brooke rolled her eyes and pulled away from Lucas, but still leaving her hand linked in his "Peyton" she smiled "Hi"

"Hi" Peyton replied with an unamused smile "You guys planning to come in and join the party or what?" she asked plainly before turning around and walking back into her home.

"Party it is" Brooke smiled as she led Lucas inside. "I'm pretty sure Haley will be here" she said loudly into his ear over the loud Christmas songs. "And Skills"

"I hope so" Lucas muttered "But I need a drink for this" he confessed and Brooke nodded her head agreeing as the two walked into the kitchen. "Great" he sighed as they came face to face to Nathan who was standing talking to some guys that Lucas recognised from High School.

"Nathan" Brooke greeted and gave him a warning smile telling him not to cause any trouble.

"Brooke" he replied falsely and sent Lucas a short glare. Brooke rolled her eyes as she and Lucas walked to the other side of the kitchen to make their drinks.

"The guy has a major stick up his ass" Lucas muttered quietly.

"Ignore him" Brooke warned "He just wants a reaction out of you, but he's not going to get one, right?"

"Right" Lucas agreed with a sigh and Brooke could see that he wasn't a hundred percent happy with that. She knew that if it was up to both Lucas and Nathan, they would be beating the crap out of each other this very second.

* * *

"I agree" Lucas smiled widely as he stood in the living room chatting to Haley. Brooke had disappeared for a bit to catch up with some old friends and he was left alone until he spotted Haley who looked as though she was enjoying this party just as much as he was. "Grace is definitely the most cutest kid alive"

"You should be proud" Haley told him honestly "She loves you a lot too"

"I know" Lucas grinned "Her and Brooke are the best thing that I could ever have hoped for"

Haley nodded her head "And you should never let that go"

"Trust me I wont" Lucas smiled as he looked around the crowded apartment "So what about you? Got any boyfriends..." he trailed with a smile.

"Ha" Haley let out a small chuckle "Can't say that I do" she admitted.

"Not back with Nathan then?" he asked curiously causing Haley to shake her head with a smile "Ah can't say I blame you" he smirked "The guy is an asshole"

Haley laughed and nodded her head "I actually have to agree with you on that one" she smiled just as Nathan himself suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"What's this huh?" Nathan asked coldly as he eyed Lucas up and down with a fierce glare.

"What's what?" Haley asked confused however Lucas cut in before anyone could say anything else.

"You got a problem, Nathan?" he asked with an icy tone as he took a step towards his half brother. "Well?" he asked after Nathan failed to answer "Do you?"

"You know what, Lucas" Nathan said while frowning at him "I actually do have a problem, it's with you"

"Nathan" Haley cut in "Leave it yeah?" she warned him.

"No" Nathan shook his head and looked at Lucas firmly "You weren't invited here tonight so I want to know why the hell your ass showed up" he spat coldly.

Lucas let out a small chuckle and shook his head in disbelief "Out of all the reasons you could have to hit me tonight you chose that one?" he asked amused causing Nathan's glare to deepen. "And to answer your question, I'm here as Brooke's _date_ and another thing, I don't remember this apartment belonging to you" he told him "So come on Nathan, hit me, I know that's all you have wanted to do since the moment I came back to this town"

Nathan nodded his head agreeing "You know what, you're right, that's all I've wanted since you got back but luckily for you I haven't, because I care for Brooke and Grace more than you ever will"

"Oh yeah?" Lucas hissed back threateningly as he went to take a step towards his brother.

"Guys come on!" Haley interrupted quickly knowing that this was about to turn messy, especially since they were starting to gain attention to themselves from the guests around them.

"Yeah because I would _never_ abandon them, because I'm not a coward" Nathan spat at him coldly "Because that's all you are Lucas, a _coward_, and if you hadn't of met Brooke you would be _nothing_ right now, you would have _nothing_! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you would be buried 10 feet under right now like your slut of a mother!" he spat angrily.

Lucas' eyes shot open with anger at the insult and it didn't take him long to raise his fist and send it crashing in Nathan's face just as Brooke appeared by Haley's side "Lucas!" she gasped in shock however the blonde couldn't hear anything else apart from Nathan's last words as he dived into Nathan causing them both to go flying backwards and crash onto the glass table behind them causing it to smash to pieces underneath their body weight.

"Great!" Peyton shouted angrily "Great!" she repeated when she saw Lucas again raise his fist and hit Nathan in the face. "Brooke! Can you stop them?" she shouted at her as a horrified Brooke watched on as Nathan kneed Lucas in the stomach before flipping them over so he was hovering over his older brother before he himself raised his own fist and punched it into Lucas a few times.

"Nathan!" Brooke screamed angrily as she ran to the duo and attempted to pull the brunette off her boyfriend "Nathan stop it! Get off of him!"

Lucas managed to gain control and push Nathan off him as both brothers quickly jumped to their feet, Lucas went to charge back into Nathan however Brooke quickly stepped in his way and pushed him backwards.

"Stop it!" she shouted at them fiercely and flicked her head angrily between the two of them as the rest of the party watched on "What the hell is wrong with you both? You are acting like idiotic teenagers!"

"He started it!" Nathan argued causing Brooke to roll her eyes at his words and swing her arms in the air in disbelief.

"Oh how mature" Lucas hissed at him coldly and shook his head.

"You want to shut your mouth, Lucas!" Nathan warned threateningly before wiping some of the blood from his lip.

"No you want to watch yours!" Lucas argued back as he took a step towards him again but Brooke firmly grabbed his arm "No baby it's okay" he spoke softly to her "I'm not going to start anything again" he told her honestly before turning his attention back to Nathan as the glare came back to his face "Don't you ever speak about my mother again, okay?" he warned angrily and Brooke's head snapped towards Nathan confused. "I mean it, don't you _ever_ mention her again" he continued when Nathan didn't answer.

Nathan shrugged and smirked at the blonde "What's wrong Lucas, can't face facts?" he taunted.

"Guys that's enough!" Haley cut in surprising them both "You both need to grow up! For gods sake you guys are _brothers_! Nathan, that comment you made about Lucas' Mom was totally uncalled for" she told him sternly "And Lucas, if you want to be a good role model to your daughter, you are going to have to learn to stop punching people" she said towards him. "Now, this is supposed to be a _party _and quite frankly, I am passed the age of where I enjoy watching two idiots fight. Now, either one of you leaves, or you both stay the hell away from each other for the rest of the night, okay?" she warned coldly as everyone looked at Haley shocked "Peyton!" she shouted over to her blonde friend who was in the middle of cleaning up the glass that smashed out of the table "Put the music back on!" she called over.

"Yes Ma'am" Peyton smirked as she reached for the remote of the stereo player and pressed play before loud music began to blast out of the speakers and soon the attention was turned away from the Scott brothers as the guests began to carry on with the party.

"Brooke" Lucas sighed as he went to reach out to bring Brooke towards him but she immediately took a step back while shaking her head and Lucas could see that she was disappointed in him.

"Let's just go home, okay?" she told him with a sigh "I'm going to get my stuff, wait for me outside or something" she muttered before walking away from them.

Lucas sighed and ran his hand over his head and turned to look at Haley "I am sorry" he told her genuinely "I didn't want this to happen"

"I know" Haley nodded her head agreeing "But Brooke is right, I think it would be best if you left" she suggested with a small smile "Have a nice Christmas"

"Thanks" he mumbled "You too" he finished before sending one last glare in Nathan's direction before leaving the room and heading towards the front door.

"What the hell was that all about?" Nathan asked with an icy tone, wanting to know how Haley and Lucas seemed to be friends out of nowhere.

"Don't!" Haley warned him and held her hand up to stop him from speaking "Don't talk to me Nathan, what you did just now was unbelievable and I hate that side of you, so just don't talk to me" she finished sternly before walking away from him before Nathan could speak another word.

* * *

"I'm sorry Brooke" Lucas sighed as he walked out of Grace's bedroom that night after kissing her goodnight to see Brooke standing outside in the hall waiting for him. "I didn't plan for that to happen"

"I know" Brooke nodded her head as she let Lucas take a hold of her hand as they both slowly walked into Brooke's bedroom "Nathan should _not_ have said what he did, and I'm sorry that he acted like an ass but there was no need to start a fight, I told you that's all he wanted and you gave it to him" she told him while getting dressed for bed.

"Yeah and I'm sorry" Lucas admitted as he took off his jeans before removing his shirt "But he took it to far the moment he mentioned my mother and I just stopped thinking rationally and lashed out, I know now that I should have just ignored him and walked away but it's _hard_ for me, Brooke, I'm not going to lie about that, and if that makes me a bad person then I'm _sorry_"

"Don't" Brooke immediately shook her head as they both climbed into bed "Don't apologise for being who you are, but I still think you should have walked away"

"And if there's a next time, I will honestly try to do that" Lucas told her sincerely.

"Good" Brooke answered as a small smile appeared on her lips "Now can we stop talking about you know who and entertain me boyfriend"

"Entertain you?" Lucas asked with a smirk as he rolled over so he was hovering on top of her and slowly pressed his mouth against hers in a soft slow kiss "This sort of entertainment good enough for you?"

"Yes" Brooke smirked as she leaned her head up and kissed him again before slowly pulling away "Very good"

"Good" Lucas grinned "Because you're not getting any sleep tonight Brooke Davis" he smirked before crashing his lips back against hers.

* * *

"Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!" Grace squealed excitedly as she ran into Brooke's bedroom and jumped onto the bed crushing her parents legs as she did so "It's Christmas Mommy!"

"Graciee" Brooke groaned as pulled the covers over her head tiredly. It wasn't even daylight yet and her daughter was up and raring to go. "Go back to bed baby" she muttered.

"Noo!" Grace moaned "Mommy it's morning!"

"Barely" Brooke muttered as a small smile crept onto her lips "Go wake up your Dad instead"

"Okay" Grace grinned as she jumped from her Mother's legs and onto Lucas "Daddy! Daddy wake up!"

"What?" Lucas' tired voice broke out as he kept his eyes shut "What time is it?"

"Too early" Brooke mumbled sleepily as she rolled over onto her side away from the two.

"No Daddy it's Christmas!" Grace squealed loudly and Lucas slowly opened his eyes as he struggled to sit up. "Merry Christmas" she grinned.

"Merry Christmas to you too baby girl" Lucas smiled widely as he kissed Grace's forehead softly "But you have gotten up way too early" he said looking over at the clock to see it wasn't even 6am yet, he and Brooke had only gotten to sleep a couple of hours ago.

"It's not" Grace pouted "It's morning" she told him seriously "So can we go downstairs and see if Santa has been?" she asked eagerly.

Lucas turned his head to the side to see that Brooke was still lying in bed not even attempting to get up "Brooke" he started only to receive a small 'hm" sound coming from his girlfriend "Are we getting up?" he asked with a yawn.

"Please Mommy!" Grace begged excitedly.

"Urgh" Brooke groaned as she slowly sat up and looked at her daughter tiredly "But next year we aren't waking up until after 8am, okay?" she warned although she knew in reality that it wouldn't happen. She didn't mind though, she loved how excited Grace got on Christmas day.

"Okay!" Grace grinned as she excitedly jumped out the bed and hurriedly ran towards the bedroom door "Hurry up!" she moaned when she noticed that her parents were taking ages to follow her downstairs.

"Patience" Brooke told her as she pulled on Lucas' sweatshirt over her head to protect her from the cold "Merry Christmas boyfriend" she smirked before leaning on her toes and pressing her lips softly against his.

"You too" Lucas mumbled against her mouth before pulling away "Come on Gracie, let's go open those presents from Santa, huh?" he grinned before picking up his daughter from behind as the three of them left the room.

* * *

"Wow can we even see the floors in here?" Lucas asked with a laugh as he walked into the sitting room later that night to see Grace's presents and wrapping paper scattered all over the door. "I think Santa has threw up in here!"

"It's all my presents Daddy!" Grace squealed excitedly while running a brush through the hair of one of her new dolls "Don't you think she looks pretty?" she asks lifting the doll up over her head.

"Beutiful" Lucas agrees as he sits down on the couch contently. Today was one of the best days of his life so far, he didn't think he could feel so happy just to watch his little girl open her presents on Christmas morning, but he did and he loved it. "Where's your Mommy gone?" he asked, only leaving the room to go to the bathroom.

"Oh Uncle Nate phone her and she went outside to talk to him" Grace explained "He told me he has lots and lots of presents for me!" she told Lucas excitedly.

"Really" Lucas nodded his head while forcing a smile, wondering what Nathan had to say to Brooke, especially after their bust up the night before. Just as he was about to stand up to go and find his girlfriend she beat him too it by walking back into the living room. "What did Nathan want?" he asked straight away and Brooke rolled her eyes at his eagerness.

"Nothing" Brooke shrugged as she took a seat next to him on couch "Just Christmas stuff"

"Christmas stuff?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at her and Brooke let out a groan at his reluctance to drop the subject.

"Luke" She moaned "It's Christmas Day, I just want to forget about the rest of the world and concentrate on you and Grace. Can we just forget about Nathan for today?" she asked him honestly.

"Yeah of course" Lucas quickly agreed and wrapped his arm around Brooke and brought her closer to him "I'm sorry for acting like an ass"

"It's okay" Brooke told him softly and slowly leaned up and kissed him "How about we go pick one of Gracie's new DVDs and settle down for the night, huh?"

"Sounds good to me" Lucas grinned before sitting up from the couch and picking up his giggling daughter from behind before leaving the room for them both to go and pick a movie to watch.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked the chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought.**

**Thanks guys,**

**Sara**


End file.
